(THE CENTER SQUARE) – Ohio Medicaid wants to spend $5 million over the next year on an effort to improve the overall well-being of mothers, infants and families through an initiative involving doctors and community partners.
The plan of the community-based statewide program is to create a framework for providers and community partners to work together to develop a person-centered, customized intervention to support women and families who have traditionally lacked access to high-quality care before and after pregnancy, Gov. Mike DeWine said in a news release.
“Giving all Ohioans the best possible start at life truly begins before a child is even born and that means ensuring the child’s family has access to the resources they need,” DeWine said. “Personalized access to those supports from trusted community partners and high-quality, responsive care that focuses on patients lead to better, healthier outcomes for mothers, babies and their families.”
The program, called Comprehensive Maternal Care (CMC), has a goal to reach 14,000 pregnant and postpartum patients and enroll 77 medical practices that are currently caring for pregnant and postpartum patients in the first year.
The announcement pleased groups like Groundwork Ohio, a nonpartisan public-policy research group aimed at early learning and healthy development for children.
“We are thrilled with this intentional investment in moms and babies designed to improve their care and their health outcomes by engaging both providers and community-based partnerships," said Shannon Jones, president and CEO of Groundwork. "Moms know best and their input is essential to eliminating the state’s abysmal infant mortality and maternal morbidity rates. We enthusiastically support CMC’s requirement that provider’s utilize strategies that incorporate patient feedback to improve their experience and reduce disparities.”
The program will financially reward maternal care providers to address patient and family needs across the entire cycle of childbearing – prenatal, birth and postnatal.
To participate, doctors must measure and engage with patients and families through advisory councils or other means to hear firsthand accounts of how access to care, cultural competence and communication methods affect patient outcomes.
“Ohio Medicaid and our vision for the next generation of care commits to delivering a personal care experience to every Ohioan served,” said Ohio Department of Medicaid Director Maureen Corcoran. “The CMC model builds on that commitment by encouraging providers and communities to partner on building a trustworthy and comprehensive system of care for members.”
