LOS ANGELES, April 10, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ouma Health, a maternity telehealth company, today announced results from its novel program focused on improving maternal healthcare quality and timely access to prenatal and postpartum care for Medicaid members. With the mission of democratizing access to world class maternity clinical care, Ouma has been tapped by some of the nation’s largest Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) and health plans to bring its innovation to solve the challenges of delivering timely and impactful care to pregnant and postpartum individuals across the nation.
Over the last six months, Ouma has launched programs in Michigan, Nevada, and Illinois that were holistically designed for its MCO partners’ Medicaid members in order to improve timely access to maternity care (including virtual prenatal, postpartum, behavioral health, and lactation visits), provide a clinical safety net for those struggling to access care locally, and understand and address social determinants of health (SDoH). Within the first six months since launch, Ouma announced the following impact:
- 40% of prenatal visits were conducted within the first trimester or within 42 days of the member enrolling in Medicaid
- 77% of postpartum visits were conducted between 7 and 84 days after delivery
- 27% of patients were diagnosed with previously unrecognized depression and subsequently escalated for a visit with Ouma’s behavioral health team (42% in MI, 17% in NV, 15% in IL)
- 33% of patients had SDoH issues identified and acted upon in coordination with MCO case management teams to help provide resources (41% in MI, 28% in NV, 28% in IL); the largest SDoH categories were baby supplies (18%), medicine/healthcare needs (12%), food insecurity (11%), and housing insecurity (10%)
“We’re incredibly humbled by the immediate patient response, engagement, and positive impact we were able to achieve so soon after launching in these first few states and are energized to continue on our mission of bringing equitable, timely access to expert maternity clinical care to every pregnant individual regardless of income or geography,” said CEO & co-founder of Ouma Health, Sina Haeri, MD, MHSA. “We’re excited to continue expanding our coverage with a slate of upcoming Medicaid program launches in another 12 states during the rest of the year, as well as expanding coverage to Healthcare Marketplace and commercial insurance members.”
At the heart of Ouma Health’s philosophy is a return to relationship medicine, prioritizing personalized, ongoing patient-clinician relationships over impersonal technology-based interactions. With a dedicated clinical team assigned to each patient, Ouma is able to order lab tests, prescribe medications, and seamlessly address care gaps in all 50 states while complementing patient relationships with on-the-ground clinicians.
“Ouma is a clinical practice first and foremost, with dedicated clinicians that are tech-enabled. We are not an app, we’re not just coaching or education, and we’re not a platform of outsourced clinical services. We are practicing medicine and our commitment is to provide empathetic, personalized, and clinically excellent care to our patients,” said Dr. Haeri. “That is what has established Ouma Health as a leader in resolving the current maternity care crisis. By practicing medicine at the frontline, especially focusing on Medicaid members who face significant resource constraints, we’re not just bridging gaps—we’re fundamentally redefining maternal healthcare to prioritize the health and well-being of mothers and their families.”
About Ouma Health
Ouma Health is maternity telehealth company licensed in all 50 states and committed to providing high-quality, accessible prenatal and postpartum care. Ouma’s multidisciplinary team is composed of Maternal-Fetal Medicine physicians, Certified Nurse Midwives, Behavioral Health specialists (including Psychiatric NPs), Lactation Consultants, and RN navigation. Ouma provides comprehensive maternity telehealth services for health plans/MCOs, providers, hospitals/health systems, employers, health captives, surrogacy agencies, and intended parents.
To learn more, visit oumahealth.com.
