CCNC Recognized Nationally For Its Approach to Maternal Mortality
In an article by The Huffington Post, CCNC’s Pregnancy Medical Home model is recognized for its innovative approach to improving North Carolina’s maternal mortality rates, which is currently one of the highest in the United States.
Jeffery Rakover, senior researcher at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, calls North Carolina a leader in the pregnancy medical home model and said CCNC’s “well-defined and rigorous” program will likely become a model for other states.
Although a number states have pregnancy medical homes in place, North Carolina is currently the only one with a statewide program. Launched in April 2011, CCNC’s Pregnancy Medical Home includes the majority of maternity care providers – more than 350 practices and 1,600 individual North Carolina providers.
CCNC’s model aims to improve birth and maternal health outcomes by offering incentives to medical practices to help patients understand medical terminology and encourage them to keep postpartum appointments. Women facing a high risk of pregnancy-related complications are paired with a pregnancy care manager to coordinate care between providers and evaluate non-medical barriers to care, such as substance abuse or barriers to secure housing.
Analysis of the Pregnancy Medical Home program at CCNC has shown lower rates of low-birth weight babies, a decrease in the amount of C-section deliveries, and an increase in rural access to obstetrical care for program participants in North Carolina.
