According to Leapfrog’s latest maternity care survey of more than 2,000 U.S. hospitals, only 1 in 5 are meeting national standards for lowering the incidence of 3 maternity care interventions—cesarean sections, early elective deliveries and episiotomies. Meeting these national standards means better care and outcomes for patients. It also increases a hospital’s reputation in the community, provides positive data points for expectant mothers researching their choice of hospitals for delivery, and drives down costs for both patients and payers.

Research shows early elective deliveries—performed prior to 39 weeks of gestation and without medical necessity—can result in both short and long term risks to the newborn and mother. An infant born prior to 39 weeks faces a 20% greater risk of significant medical consequences, including problems with breathing, feeding, and regulating body temperature. A baby's lungs, liver and brain go through a crucial period of growth between 37 weeks and 39 weeks of gestation. Early elective deliveries also increase the mother’s risk of postpartum depression, stronger contractions and the need for a cesarean section.

What steps can hospitals take to reduce the frequency of early elective delivery procedures?

Having a baby is a joyful and exciting life event. But it’s also a huge change of life for mothers—one that’s often much harder to deal with than they expected. New parents can feel blindsided by the intensity of parenting an infant. The round-the-clock care of a newborn is physically and mentally exhausting.

Millennials, currently 82% of new mothers, are strongly affected by the changes a new baby brings. Research finds that these moms are more likely to report postpartum depression than previous generations. Millennials are defined by their individualism, which means the demands of new motherhood can leave these women feeling as if they’ve lost their independence and sense of self.

Providing new moms with the information and support they need to take care of their babies is so important to helping them become confident parents. Giving them the info and support they need to take care of themselves is just as critical.

Millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, are the first generation to grow up with technology integrated into everything they do. Their phones always at the ready, millennials expect a direct, convenient way to receive and interact with information. They see value in digital services that make their lives simpler.

When it comes to their healthcare, 45% of millennials don’t have a primary care physician, according to a 2018 Kaiser Family Foundation poll. This group tends to get care on an episodic basis, visiting retail and urgent care clinics for illness and turning to online sources for health-related questions.

Millennials are also starting families, accounting for 82% of U.S. births in 2016 and raising the total number of first-time moms in this generation to 17 million. How should healthcare best engage this huge new population of moms? What changes are necessary to accommodate their expectations of a digital society?

The Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) Association recently released a report showing a dramatic leap in costs for planned orthopedic surgeries.