Royal Philips a global leader in health technology, Amerigroup, CareSource Georgia, and Peach State Health Plan have partnered to provide remote monitoring solutions to expand access to quality healthcare for high-risk pregnancies in the state.
In support of the Georgia Healthy Babies Act, the program will initially give pregnant and postpartum people with maternal hypertension and diabetes in 50 counties access to remote patient monitoring. Licensed clinical professionals will provide personalized health coaching to participants, monitoring them and intervening to avoid possible complications.
“Amerigroup is proud to collaborate on this important initiative, which aims to significantly improve maternal health outcomes in Georgia through innovative remote monitoring solutions,” said Dr. Truddie Darden, Chief Medical Director for Amerigroup Georgia. “Together, we strive to make transformative progress and have a life-changing impact on vulnerable mothers and babies across the state.”
“Peach State Health Plan is dedicated to moving the needle for Georgian moms by working with strong partners and implementing innovative solutions that support and improve their care,” said Laquanda Brooks, Senior Vice President, Population Health and Clinical Operations at Peach State Health Plan. “Through remote patient monitoring and by taking a personalized approach to care, we’re better positioned to support mothers and their babies and improve maternity outcomes in Georgia.”
Maternal healthcare in the U.S. is a national priority, with 62% of pregnancies identified as high risk for unexpected complications [1], including an 81.3% increase in hypertension and 50% in diabetes [2]. Additionally, over 35% [2] of US counties are maternity care deserts and by 2030, the supply of OB-GYNs in non-metro U.S. areas is projected to only meet 50% of demand [3]. In Georgia, Medicaid covers close to 50% of all births and the state ranks 31st of 40 in maternal mortality [4], prompting the state’s lawmakers to introduce new bills that increase support for Medicaid-eligible families, including new remote technologies that can provide a lifeline in maternal health deserts.
“Our members are working moms, moms who face challenges with childcare or transportation, and moms in rural Georgia who have limited access to healthcare,” said Lisa Pennington, senior manager of population health, CareSource Georgia. “By bringing care right to their homes through connected devices, we’re offering them timely, personalized healthcare that can make a real difference in the health and well-being of moms and babies, no matter where they live in the state.”
Pregnant women with maternal hypertension or diabetes who are covered by Medicaid can opt into the program and will receive appropriate monitoring devices. A Philips licensed nurse, dietitian, and certified diabetes care and education specialist will then walk them through how to use the devices as well as schedule coaching calls. The clinicians receive an alert if a participant’s blood glucose or blood pressure is out of range and reach out to see if they can help provide coaching, identify additional symptoms, and determine if the participant needs to see their provider. The remote monitoring continues for up to 90 days postpartum.
“Philips is committed to improving maternal healthcare and ensuring that all expectant women have access to high-quality prenatal and postpartum care,” said Jennifer Law, Maternal Health Leader at Philips. “We enable this through partnerships with innovative organizations like Peach State Health Plan, Amerigroup, and CareSource that share our mission of improving lives. It takes an ecosystem of innovators, providers, payers, and policymakers working together to ensure a healthy pregnancy and start for every mom and child.”
For more information please visit, www.philips.com/
