Event: Improving maternal health in Illinois
Maternal health doesn’t need another point solution | 3 min read
“We have maternity care deserts. And then we have data deserts.”
🎤 One of my favorite lines from last week’s CareSourcing Advisory Group meeting in Chicago.
First, here’s the maternal health story in Illinois:
- More than 90% of maternal deaths are preventable
- Preterm birth remains at 10%
- Black families are 1.5X more likely to experience preterm birth than white families
- Nearly 43% counties are maternity care deserts
Then, Isabel Fulcher, Chief Scientific Office at Delfina, introduced another challenge.
The “data desert.” The gap between prenatal visits and that 1st year postpartum – where OB providers have little to zero visibility into what’s going on with their patients.
We see more digital health solutions and investment in maternal health, but health outcomes haven’t improved.
Why? Because maternal health doesn’t need another point solution. It needs more partnerships.
That’s why it was an honor to bring together leaders from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Esperanza Health Centers, and Delfina to share a different model. Here’s what that looks like:
🌟 A view of the full perinatal picture: We see the best maternal health outcomes when health plans, providers, and technology partners work from the same data – and act together.
🌟 Continuously supporting patients: Being there for her between OB visits, when her anxiety spikes, blood pressure rises overnight, or glucose levels fluctuate.
🌟 Technology that strengthens providers, not replaces them: The goal isn’t another app. It’s giving providers better data visibility to keep patients engaged and act earlier.
Patients shouldn’t have to connect the dots across a fragmented health system.
We should. It's time to move care upstream – and when OBs are in the drivers seat and patients feel more empowered, maternity care works better for everyone.
Read my full recap here.
📣 Health plans, health systems, and providers: If you want to build a more integrated, connected maternity care model, I’d love to connect!
Follow the conversation on LinkedIn.
Learn more about what I’m fighting for.
