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A new study has found that Medicaid ACOs in Massachusetts were associated with increases in prenatal and postpartum office visits, postpartum depression screenings, and timely postpartum care.
Despite recent declines in nationwide maternal mortality, the United States continues to experience a significant maternal health crisis, in part shaped by inequitable access to quality health care for too many pregnant and postpartum people, particularly those who are covered by Medicaid.
Medicaid accountable care organizations (ACOs) have the ability to address this inequity in care by improving both coordination and quality of care for pregnant patients during and after their pregnancy, according to a new study led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH).
Published in the journal Health Affairs, the study examined changes in pregnancy and postpartum health care after the implementation of Medicaid ACOs in Massachusetts and found that this value-based model of care was linked to increases in prenatal and postpartum office visits, postpartum depression screening rates, and the likelihood of a timely postpartum visit.