Maternal health working group releases preliminary report

Arkansas health officials released Thursday (Sept. 5) the initial findings of a working group charged by Gov. Sarah Sanders to explore improving the state’s woeful maternal health statistics.

The “Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies” report reviewed the actions of a task force Sanders put in motion in March to address Arkansas’ ranking as the worst state in the country for maternal health.

According to Health Department data from 2018-2020, Arkansas had 35 pregnancy-related deaths per 100,000 residents. The department said 92% of those deaths were estimated to be preventable.

Roughly, 31% of maternal deaths are pregnancy related, while nearly 61% are pregnancy associated, but not necessarily related. Disorders of the cardiovascular system were the leading causes of pregnancy-related deaths, although other underlying causes of pregnancy-related deaths were cardiomyopathy, cardiovascular conditions, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, infections, and hemorrhage.

“We are incredibly grateful that so many partners came together to consider obstacles to maternal and postpartum care that exist in our state today, and to align around this set of meaningful solutions which promise to make a real and positive difference in our state,” said DHS Secretary Kristi Putnam. “We will act on these changes as quickly as possible because we know they have the potential to improve the health of countless women and babies, and to save lives.”

“We are proud to present these strategies and recommendations today,” said Renee Mallory, Arkansas Secretary of Health. “This report is the result of many meetings and listening sessions with stakeholders across the state. While we’ve already begun this important work, we look forward to continuing to enact solutions to improve the health and well-being of moms and babies in Arkansas.”

The working group said it met more than 20 times and developed a list of broad recommendations that health leaders said would be flushed out for potential budgetary ramifications and statutory or regulatory changes by the next legislative session. Some of the recommendations could be acted on immediately.

Some of the committee recommendations included:

• Utilizing data, reporting and technology in a better fashion to streamline protocols for pregnant mothers, develop more mobile-friendly resources, and track health statistics;
• Creating a pathway for a Medicaid provider type and reimbursement for Doulas, which assist with pregnancy care;
• Creating a pathway for a Medicaid provider type and reimbursement for Community
  Health Workers;
• Evaluating opportunities to task shift maternal health care services to other licensed providers;
• Developing a maternal health education and advertising campaign to promote the options available for pregnant women;
• Evaluating Medicaid reimbursement rates;
• Applying for a Transforming Maternal Health (TMaH) grant; and
• Implementing “presumptive eligibility” for Medicaid-eligible pregnant women.

Officials said the “presumptive eligibility” component would assure doctors that they would be reimbursed for services for potential Medicaid patients and would encourage earlier medical care for pregnant women in this category. Medicaid covers 50-60% of all pregnancies in Arkansas annually, according to the report.

“As the first mom to lead Arkansas, maternal health is personal. I’m not interested in headline-grabbing policies or duplicative government programs that don’t actually change maternal health outcomes,” said Gov. Sanders. “Instead, this committee pursued a comprehensive, coordinated approach that will help healthier moms have healthier babies. I’m grateful to all the stakeholders who participated in this discussion, and I look forward to continuing our work to turn these ideas into action.”

The governor’s task force did not recommend expanding postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to 12 months, although nearly every other state in the union has done so and advocates have supported Arkansas following suit. The Sanders administration contends there is ample coverage for postpartum care through other avenues, and the state can do a better job of steering pregnant women to take advantage of programs that already exist.

You can read the full report here.