NJ Health Systems Strike Digital Maternity Care Partnership

Healthcare Transformation Consortium (HTC), a collaborative of independent health systems in New Jersey, has entered into a partnership with health technology company Wildflower Health to launch a digital maternity care initiative for employees and their dependents.

Through the partnership, HTC members across the state will gain access to Wildflower Health's value-based maternity care bundle, which includes digital tools to support pre-and postnatal care needs. The tools include a digital platform that enables clinicians to engage, support, and remotely monitor patients between visits. The platform also provides educational content and tools for patients.

Further, the partnership will allow clinicians to work with Wildflower health advocates and coaches, who can help connect birthing people with community resources and additional clinical support.

The value-based care model will prioritize patient outcomes, enabling providers to focus on designing workflows, leveraging tools, and utilizing data to improve clinical outcomes, according to the press release.

"This new partnership will allow the HTC to bring all stakeholders together to work for the benefit of expectant mothers, new moms and their babies," said Kevin Lenahan, executive vice president and chief business and strategy officer for Atlantic Health System, in the press release. "Additionally, our physicians, nurses and team members are the most important asset to any healthcare system. Working with Wildflower allows us the opportunity to improve both member and physician experience, while helping reduce the cost of care and improve the quality of care for our employee health plan.”

HTC members include Atlantic Health System, CentraState Healthcare System, Hunterdon Health, Saint Peter's Healthcare System, and Virtua Health. Though currently available only to member health systems' staff, Wildflower Health and HTC plan to explore opportunities to expand the model to include payers and self-insured employers.

To implement the model, Wildflower and HTC will collaborate with obstetrics and gynecology practices across New Jersey, including Lifeline Medical Associates and those affiliated with Axia Women's Health.

"As the demands on OB-GYNs continue to mount, it’s critical that we work together to find innovative ways to offer more support," said Gaurov Dayal, MD, CEO of Axia Women's Health, in the press release. "The model being introduced in New Jersey fully equips clinicians to work more efficiently while providing personalized support for every patient, even between office visits. It makes it possible for providers to do their best work and be rewarded for high-quality outcomes."

The partnership officially launched on Jan. 1. It will be rolled out in phases across HTC health systems.

Maternal care in the United States is rife with poor outcomes. In 2020, the maternal mortality rate in the US was more than three times higher than the rate in most high-income countries, according to data released by the Commonwealth Fund last December. Maternal mortality rates are especially high among women of color, with Black women experiencing double the average rate.

In New Jersey, more than 90 percent of pregnancy-related deaths from 2016 through 2018 were preventable, according to a state Department of Health report released in November 2022, indicating a need for new maternal care models.

Healthcare provider organizations are increasingly turning to virtual care to bolster maternal outcomes.

Last month, Northwell Health released a chatbot that aims to lower morbidity and mortality rates among pregnant women. Through the artificial intelligence-powered chats, patients can access health risk assessments, blood pressure tracking, prenatal testing, birth plans, and lactation support.