Mayo Clinic, Memora Health Launch Virtual Postpartum Care Research Program

In collaboration with Mayo Clinic, Memora Health has launched the first phase of a research program focused on virtual postpartum care.

The program aims to improve communication between patients and providers through the addition of new technology to enhance postpartum care.

Memora Health, which offers digital and automated care programs, is working with Mayo Clinic to implement the virtual care program, which will provide the health system's maternal care teams access to technology that can help them extend care for postpartum patients in the home and between clinic visits.

The company's technology platform includes artificial intelligence (AI)-driven responses to patients' frequently asked questions and natural language processing-based triage of patient-reported symptoms. It can also be used to provide educational resources and postpartum depression screenings.

The goals of using this type of system are related to enhancing care access, improving health equity, and eliminating barriers.

"Our care programs support care teams as they reimagine how to provide care to patients during and after pregnancy, enabling a close connection between the care team and patient post-discharge and everywhere in between," said Manav Sevak, co-founder and CEO of Memora Health, in a press release. "We're excited to launch this research program with Mayo Clinic to extend automated, easily accessible, and always-on postpartum care."

The press release also noted that Memora's technology-driven care programs leverage text messaging, email, and phone-based patient outreach, thereby expanding access to care for traditionally underserved communities, including low socioeconomic, rural, and immigrant populations.

The use of telehealth and AI to improve postpartum and maternal health outcomes has become increasingly common.

In October, Penn Medicine created a virtual care program that aimed to improve access to fertility care for patients struggling to conceive. With the inclusion of a team of advanced practice providers who conduct telehealth-based visits with new patients and an AI-based text messaging system, the program led to benefits such as lower wait times, a higher number of served patients, lower no-show rates, and higher levels of satisfaction.

A partnership announced in August that involved Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Maven Clinic led to health plan members gaining access to a virtual maternity care program that provided various parenthood, pregnancy, postpartum, and pediatrics services.

As a virtual maternal care provider, Maven Clinic offers a wide array of services, including preconception and egg-freezing support services, a one-year-long program that provides pregnancy and postpartum care, and childcare navigation assistance.

Research also shows that pre-natal and postpartum care provided virtually leads to similar outcomes as in-person care. The study evaluated visits at an OB-GYN clinic in Springfield, Massachusetts, between March 19, 2020, and Aug. 31, 2020. Health outcomes, including the prevalence of hypertension, gestational diabetes, breastfeeding rates, and emergency department visits, were similar between the telehealth and in-person care groups.