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Derby and Burton rolls out BadgerNet EPR for maternity services - Digital Health #DerbyandBurton #BadgerNetEPR #MaternityServices Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust has successfully implemented the BadgerNet Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system for their maternity services. This new system aims to streamline patient information management and improve overall efficiency in delivering care to pregnant women and new mothers. #Benefits of BadgerNet EPR The BadgerNet EPR system offers numerous benefits for maternity services, including improved data accuracy, enhanced communication between healthcare providers, and better coordination of care for expectant mothers. With this system in place, healthcare professionals can access up-to-date patient information easily and make more informed decisions regarding patient care. #Implementation Process The implementation of the BadgerNet EPR system ai.mediformatica.com #maternity #badgernet #acce #badgernotes #pregnancy #uhdb #this #trust #electronicpatientrecord #maternityservices #patientrecord #portal #digitalhealth #healthit #healthtech #healthcaretechnology @MediFormatica (https://buff.ly/3xmtYIq)

Embracing the digital age to enhance maternal healthcare, West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has launched a significant innovation - a dedicated app that gives expectant mothers immediate access to their maternity records. Replacing the paper-based system utilized for generations, this application is the first of its kind in Hertfordshire and West Essex, modernizing the way pregnancy, birth, and postnatal records are accessed and maintained. Called BadgerNet, it serves the dual purpose of ensuring prompt access for clinicians and minimizing the risk of vital paperwork being lost or missed. In the year since its launch, nearly 8,000 mothers have benefitted from this app. Not only does it help keep crucial health information at their fingertips, but it also allows questions to be answered by midwives before appointments, reducing anxiety during what can be an overwhelming time. The future of maternal healthcare is digital, and innovative tools like BadgerNet are paving the way. #DigitalHealth #MaternalHealth #Innovation #BadgerNet 

Announced today the new NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) Challenge Maternity Disparities Consortium, with the aim of tackling inequalities in maternity outcomes. The research carried out by the consortium will focus on inequalities before, during and after pregnancy.  The consortium will also focus on building capacity for further research to help improve services over time. It will help support professionals who plan and deliver services for women and babies across both health and social care. Bournemouth University has teamed up Hora Soltani #Sheffield Hallam University.

"Black maternal death rates have been steadily rising in the United States for decades, Black women in Miami-Dade County today are three times more likely to die from childbirth and related complications than White women. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that four out of five of these deaths are preventable. The history of structural and institutional racism which has resulted in inadequate access to care, maternity care deserts, lack of health insurance, and implicit bias, are at the root of the Black maternal health crisis. Think about that. Why is the disparity so great? And why do we allow it to continue when we have a blueprint for better perinatal outcomes? It is physiologic birth and midwifery, which is the standard of care in every single country that is doing well in the areas of maternal and infant health. Also, most of those countries have some version of universal healthcare to address the needs of uninsured pregnant people and a robust infrastructure to support care coordination and integration including postpartum care and family leave. The alarming statistics on Black death rates in the United States call for urgent action to address the health equity crisis that is pervasive throughout our nation." #BlackMaternalHealthWeek #maternalchildhealth #maternalhealth https://lnkd.in/eesYSJwe

As we head toward the final week of the legislative session, we are reflecting back on some key moments. In June, the Massachusetts House took a huge step towards advancing maternal health, passing H.4773, An Act promoting access to midwifery care and out-of-hospital birth options, by unanimous vote. We are grateful to House leadership for prioritizing and addressing maternal health disparities and especially to Rep. Majorie Decker, Public Health Committee co-chair in advancing this legislation. Chair Decker has been an advocate for increasing access to comprehensive, affordable maternal health care throughout her career and her leadership in protecting and expanding reproductive care is especially needed in these times. The bill increases options for those that are pregnant by offering a licensing pathway to certified midwives and lactation consultants, removing regulatory barriers on freestanding birth centers, and expanding access to postpartum depression screenings. Maternal morbidity data has alarming implications for health inequity – black women have a 70 percent greater risk of experiencing severe pregnancy or labor complications and black babies have 2.4 times the overall infant mortality rate and are nearly four times more likely to die from low-birth-weight complications compared to white babies. In terms of impact on health care costs, state health regulators say complications during delivery and pregnancy can cost twice as much in medical spending. H.4773 is a notable step in the right direction – midwifery care is linked to fewer maternal deaths, infant deaths, unnecessary C-sections, and postpartum complications, among other benefits. We look forward to continued efforts by the Massachusetts Legislature to eliminate health inequities and hope to see this bill become law. https://lnkd.in/eFcdjJHq

📢 "Nothing's Changed": A Call for Urgent Action Reflecting on the recent reports by Sands - baby loss charity, Tommy's, and The Royal College of Midwives (RCM), it’s clear that the state of maternity and neonatal care in the UK hasn’t significantly shifted in the positive direction and still demands improvement. 👉 We cannot ignore that 13 babies die daily in the UK due to pregnancy and neonatal complications. The fact that Black babies are over twice as likely to be stillborn compared to white babies and that babies in deprived areas face double the risk is unacceptable. These figures underscore the deep-rooted ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in our healthcare system. 👉 The reports reveal nearly half of maternity services in England are rated as “inadequate” or “requires improvement” by the CQC. Reproductive health receives a mere 2% of public and charity health-related research funding. This severe underinvestment highlights a systemic disregard for maternal and neonatal health, with stillbirth and neonatal mortality rates stagnating, far from the 2025 targets. 👉 Addressing these issues requires more than just incremental changes. We need a bold, national strategy that extends beyond 2025. This strategy must: 1️⃣Renew Commitment: Expand national maternity safety goals to tackle inequalities. 2️⃣Increase Funding: Secure sustained financial support for transformative improvements. 3️⃣Enhance Staffing: Develop robust retention strategies and improve staffing levels across all maternity and neonatal services. Last month, The Royal College of Midwives launched a short guidebook on assessing social complexities during maternity care, known as the Maternity Disadvantage Assessment Tool (MatDAT), which will support midwives in their delivery of care.  Read the full Saving Babies’ Lives 2024 Report 👉 https://bit.ly/45AUomp Read about the Maternity Disadvantage Assessment Tool 👉 https://bit.ly/4biErSM In the spirit of one of our favourite poems, Tatamkhulu Afrika’s ‘Nothing’s Changed’, we reflect on the unchanged state of maternity and neonatal care in the UK. This urgent need requires the continued account of patients’ experiences, community around maternal health innovation and Systems Change. #SavingBabiesLives #MaternityCare #Innovation #HealthcareInequality #Ellescope

📢 Addressing Premature Birth: The U.S. Gets a D+ The March of Dimes Report Card recently graded the United States with a D+ on premature birth, highlighting persistent challenges in maternal and infant health. This staggering statistic is a call to action for all of us. However, the top three cities, including Gilbert, Arizona, have shown that improvement is possible, earning an A- rating. While this success can’t be attributed to any single factor, I’m incredibly proud to practice in this growing city and play even a small role in contributing to the positive outcomes. ✨ At Dignity Health in Arizona one of our key initiatives has been the Maternal Heart Council which I chair and originally formed with Dr. Claudia Chambers. The council views pregnancy as a window to future health. This council focuses on: ✅ Comprehensive care during pregnancy, from preconception through one year postpartum, addressing acute needs and ambulatory follow-up. ✅ Supporting mothers in maintaining healthy weights, returning to pre-baby weight, and recognizing cardiometabolic risks to improve their long-term health including the proper measuring of blood pressure through the American Heart Association in Arizona’s TargetBP campaign. ✅Targeted education to our staff, clinicians and patients, empowering women to make informed decisions about their health and the health of their babies. ✅Multidisciplinary initiatives where we bring together specialists from OB/GYN, MFM, nursing, midwifery, emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, and cardiology along with its subspecialties to provide truly integrated care for mothers and babies. While there’s more work to be done nationwide, Gilbert’s efforts show that targeted strategies, education, and multidisciplinary collaboration can make a real difference. I’m honored to be part of the work contributing to better health outcomes in our community for mothers and their families 🫶🏽🙏🏽♥️ Cc: DIGNITY HEALTH MEDICAL GROUP DIGNITY HEALTH FOUNDATION-EAST VALLEY #MaternalHealth #MarchOfDimes #MaternalHeartHealth #PrematureBirth #HealthEquity #WomensHealth #ilooklikeacardiologist #cardioobstetrics

Did you know HRSA provides an up-to-date, user-friendly tool that drills down key MCH data descriptors by state/county level? https://lnkd.in/gkt6Tk3J I am heading to Birmingham next week for 3 days and wanted a better snapshot of what is really going on there. Offering a snapshot that slightly shocked me. Overall C-section rate for Birmingham (combining Jefferson and Shelby counties) is *34%. One out of 3 women have a c-section. The majority of the state sits at > 35%. When I began my career on a L&D unit in Topeka, KS in 1978 the national rate was 10%. I remember teaching in childbirth education class that it would be likely one in the class would have an unexpected c-section. We thought the rate was too high then. In contrast to AL the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services set a goal of *23.6% or lower c-sections for low-risk births by 2030. CDC data show the rate of all low-risk cesarean births are performed at the highest rates in the Deep South. The same region that bears the highest percentage of maternal and infant death. https://shorturl.at/QemMP Nearly the entire state of AL has a preterm birth rate > 12% and a breastfeeding initiation rate of only 21%. Both CDC indicators reflecting the highest risk associated with future, overall health of the newborn. Alabama - you all have a problem with year/year worsening outcomes. Whatever you have been doing to address maternal health is not working. It does not take MORE research to understand the established model of routine prenatal care does not provide meaningful care, adequate resources, and comprehensive services to reverse some of the poorest outcomes in the US. What will it take to shake up state policymakers and those who control health care delivery along the Mississippi Delta? Who is ready to stand up, expose failures, demand accountability, and implement a variety of proven care models including: the independent practice of midwives, community based organizations, birth centers, and doulas? See you’ all next week. #GrowMidwives #scalingupandsustainingmidwifery #ExposeData

As our Grow Midwives conference activities approach, I woke up early again thinking — why does improving maternal health have to be so complicated? Follow the Money! About 42% of all US births are covered by State Medicaid Association (SMA) plans. States establish their own payment rates within federal requirements leading to wide variances in provider reimbursement for services. Why? SMAs issue state determined reimbursement rates in pregnancy for physician and CNM fees, pharmacy, ultrasound, and lab tests. However all states do not reimburse for: CM, CPM, LM or traditional midwives, doulas, dental care, SUD treatment, mental health, childbirth education classes, lactation support, birth center, or home birth. The linked source provides findings from SMAs on non-traditional pregnancy-related services by state as of May 2024. Why not? https://lnkd.in/gGDJDXnE The combination of complex billing procedures and low reimbursement by Medicaid contributes to why ob/gyns either limit the number of Medicaid patients they care for, or simply do not accept Medicaid patients in their practice. This dilemma increases medical risk for people on Medicaid in an already growing workforce crises. For the Medicaid covered individual, it is nearly impossible to find maternity care providers in the first trimester. Why? https://lnkd.in/gzAfPnYm... There is no better article about WHY than from my friend Dr. Jesanna Cooper Dr. Cooper worked as an OB/GYN in private practice in Birmingham, AL for over a decade. An article in TIME (May 2024) interviewing her sheds light on these issues. “There are a number of reasons why the U.S. health care system is falling short when it comes to maternity care. All of them are about money.” https://lnkd.in/gVicyu9v I’ll leave you with the most profound statement by Dr. Cooper most in our field agree with. “What Cooper discovered, she says, is that it doesn’t work financially to give women the kind of care they want during childbirth and that she wanted to provide. To get low c-section rates, you might have to set aside a room for a woman to labor in for 48 hours along with dedicated support staff to help her. That’s much more expensive than just performing a c-section—which happens to be a higher RVU, and pays more. “Hospitals aren’t incentivized to take that time,” she says. ”They have sick people that need those rooms.” If the US wants to improve maternal health outcomes, payment models must change. What Medicare and Medicaid pay highly influences commercial payers reimbursement rates. We do not need to waste money on more research to understand why women are dying. Even if payment reform concepts emerge with TMaH grants, findings will not be disseminated for 10 or more years. Women are dying NOW! What is wrong with our society? It’s about the MONEY. #GrowMidwives #StoptheResearch #FundtheAnswers

Our wonderful PhD student and midwife from Ethiopia has just published this article, part of his PhD on Respectful Maternity Care. Well done Ephrem Yohannes Yohannes, E., et al, (2024). Impact of disrespectful maternity care on childbirth complications: a multicentre cross-sectional study in Ethiopia. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 24(1). https://lnkd.in/gumeyqt9