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Only 20% of hospitals meet 3 key maternity care standards. Do you?

Posted by Deirdre Wilson on Jun 7, 2019 2:30:00 PM

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?

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Topics: Improving Patient Outcomes, Patient Engagement, Patient Experience, Mobile Technology, Leapfrog, Maternity Care

Educate patients to reduce the cost of care

Posted by Debra Zalvan on May 23, 2019 2:00:00 PM

The healthcare industry is challenged to reduce costs while still providing quality care. Something needs to shift—but who bears the responsibility for making the change?

The New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst Insights Council recently surveyed its members to address the question: How responsible are patients for reducing costs?

Survey results show that Council members believe that responsibility for lowering the cost of care is shared across stakeholders. Hospitals/health systems (chosen by 95% of respondents) and clinicians (94%) top the list for responsibility, with government (88%) and patients (83%) close behind.

The results also show that industry practitioners believe that patients lack the education they need to be effective participants in managing the cost of their care:

  • 61% indicated that patients don’t have enough information to affect the cost of their own healthcare-related decisions.
  • 78% said that assessing the total cost of care is extremely challenging for patients. 

What does this mean for the healthcare industry? To move the needle on containing costs, hospitals and other healthcare providers need to educate and engage their secret weapon—the patient.

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Topics: Improving Patient Outcomes, Patient Engagement, Patient Experience, patient activation

Millennials are reshaping healthcare [Infographic]

Posted by Melissa Nelson on May 16, 2019 2:00:00 PM

Millennials are redefining what is required of healthcare. Born between 1981 and 1996 and on track to become the largest generation in the U.S, millennials are digital natives who use technology to manage every aspect of their daily lives. They expect the ease and efficiency that technology provides from their healthcare experience, too.

We’ve done the research in the infographic below to show just what this means for healthcare providers trying to engage this generation.

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Topics: Improving Patient Outcomes, Patient Engagement, Patient Experience, Mobile Technology, Millennials

Providing support to new moms leads to better outcomes

Posted by Deirdre Wilson on May 9, 2019 2:00:00 PM

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.

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Topics: Improving Patient Outcomes, Patient Engagement, Patient Experience, Mobile Technology, Millennials