Boston, Jan. 12, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Centering Healthcare Institute (CHI) today announced that clinical practices offering the CenteringPregnancy group prenatal care model will qualify for increased billing rates under the updated codes for group pregnancy education, released by the Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM). These changes to the billing codes represent an alternative payment model (APM) which will incentivize healthcare providers to offer evidence-based group prenatal care. Over the course of the care episode, Centering practices could receive an average of $450 more per patient attending CenteringPregnancy groups, when compared to patients receiving prenatal care through individual visits.
The nationally-recognized, foremost model of group prenatal care, CenteringPregnancy, has shown to improve a wide range of birth outcomes including lowering risk of preterm birth by up to 47%, reducing the incidence of low birth weight babies and increasing breastfeeding rates. Research also shows it nearly eliminates the disparity in preterm birth rates between Black and white women and birthing people. A billable healthcare visit, CenteringPregnancy brings people with similar due dates out of the exam room and into a group setting for prenatal care. Each two-hour visit includes ample time for health assessment, interactive learning and support group members. Participants receive high quality of care and form a community where they develop skills and confidence to take control of the health of their children and themselves.
According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention data, women in the Buckeye State experience significant disparities in birth outcomes. In 2017 - 2019, the preterm birth rate in Ohio was 10.4%. For White babies it was 9.6% and for Black babies 13.9%. Centering Healthcare Institute has engaged with ODM throughout the process and enthusiastically supports these changes.
“Ohio joins a growing number of state Medicaid programs in recognizing that CenteringPregnancy results in healthier pregnancies, improved birth outcomes, and a better overall experience for birthing people and healthcare providers. We applaud ODM’s leadership and look forward to working with the department to ensure a successful rollout of the new codes,” said Angie Truesdale, chief executive officer at Centering Healthcare Institute. “APMs such as this one allow those delivering healthcare to share in the savings associated with healthier patients and better birth outcomes. They are an important mechanism in ensuring that more patients have access to evidence-based care delivery models that can improve lives.”
There are currently 51 CenteringPregnancy practices in Ohio, serving over 7,000 families each year. CHI will be offering education and support to the practices during the coding transition and working to partner with healthcare providers across the state to add new access points to the model.
For more information https://centeringhealthcare.org/ohiomedicaid or email ohio@centeringhealthcare.org
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