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?

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.

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.

We’ve spent the past couple weeks talking about a four-hospital system in the Midwest that has used digital education to establish real-time patient-provider connections outside the hospital. These connections, delivered throughout the care episode, have focused on helping to guide or change patient behavior and achieve better outcomes.

Read Part One in our series to learn how this hospital system made digital education a standard of care.

What are the practical steps this hospital took to create an automated, engaging and impactful patient education program—one that lives up to the hype about patient engagement impacting care and cost? And, most importantly, how can you recreate it?

Read on for 8 key strategies to bridge the gaps between a physician’s direct care and patient self-care in order to control costs and outcomes throughout the patient journey: