ACAP Health Plans Will Identify Birthing-Friendly Hospitals in Directories

Nine safety net health plans that are part of the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP) announced they would include the CMS birthing-friendly hospital designation in their provider directories.

CMS introduced the birthing-friendly designation in April to help consumers identify hospitals committed to delivering quality and safe maternal healthcare. The designation builds on CMS’ goal of improving maternal healthcare

By including the designation in provider directories, health plans can help expecting parents, physicians, and other healthcare stakeholders make informed decisions about maternal care.

“We are excited that so many of our member safety net health plans have stepped up to include this designation in their provider directories,” Margaret A. Murray, chief executive officer of ACAP, said in the press release. “It’s a reflection of our plans’ commitment to providing their beneficiaries with high-quality care—and a step that we hope will drive real improvements in maternal care.” 

The nine safety net health plans that will designate whether hospitals in their provider networks are birthing-friendly are:

• AlohaCare in Hawaii
• Banner University Health Plans in Arizona
• Chorus Community Health Plan in Wisconsin
• Community Health Plan of Washington 
• Driscoll Health Plan in Texas
• El Paso Health in Texas 
• Partnership Health Plan of California 
• Texas Children’s Health Plan 
• UPMC for You in Pennsylvania

This transparency around care quality can help families receive adequate care during pregnancy and improve maternal health. The United States has the worst maternal mortality rates in the developed world, with around 20 maternal deaths for every 100,000 births. This rate is three to four times higher for Black women.

In addition, 36 percent of US counties are considered a maternity care desert and have no obstetric hospitals, birth centers, or obstetric providers. This amounts to almost 2.2 million women living in maternity care deserts and 146,000 babies born in maternity care deserts.

Over half of states have worked to increase access to maternal healthcare by extending postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to a year after pregnancy.

Adding the birthing-friendly designation to provider networks can also help address these inequities.

Advancing health equity through its safety net health plans is a key priority for ACAP. The organization has committed to incorporating health equity into its future initiatives, establishing action items to produce immediate impacts alongside long-term goals, and partnering with other stakeholders to further health equity.

ACAP has announced plans to launch a 24-month learning series to address how to incorporate health equity into payer strategies, data collection, and stakeholder engagement. Additionally, the organization said it will support efforts to improve demographic data collection and endorse policies that boost health equity.