Blue Shield of CA Expands Access to Virtual Pregnancy, Postpartum Care

Blue Shield of California has entered into a partnership with Maven Clinic, giving eligible members access to Maven's virtual family care platform, which provides virtual pregnancy and postpartum care.

Maven Clinic operates as a virtual clinic that provides fertility, pregnancy, and parenting support and services for women and their families.

The goal of the new collaboration is to enable Blue Shield of California members to take a comprehensive approach to maternal health and postpartum care. The Maven platform will complement in-person care through on-demand virtual appointments and support from care advocates who can help members navigate their care journey.

More than half of Blue Shield of California's approximately 4.5 million members are expected to have access to Maven's platform. Within a day of the partnership's launch, over 500 people enrolled in the virtual family care platform, and 65 percent of those who are pregnant are first-time moms.

"There are many questions and concerns that arise during the different phases of pregnancy, and Maven is there for our members, with a wealth of resources plus virtual appointments on demand 24/7/365 from their smartphone or computer," said Susan Fleischman, MD, chief medical officer at Blue Shield of California, in the press release.

The partnership can also help alleviate the accessibility hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic in the maternal care arena. At the beginning of the pandemic, 25 percent of women skipped prenatal care appointments, according to Blue Cross Blue Shield report. 

"The way we care for new and expecting parents has not meaningfully changed in a century, even as we have seen worsening outcomes and rising costs," said Kate Ryder, founder, and CEO of Maven Clinic, in the press release. "We are proud to partner with the innovative team at Blue Shield of California, which is committed to transforming the experience of building a family through accessible, whole-person support."

The new partnership follows other efforts Blue Shield of California has made in this field, including the creation of the Maternal Child Health Equity initiative in February. The program aims to address mortality rates among mothers and children.   

Various efforts have been made to improve postpartum and maternal care in recent years.

One program developed in January 2021 by the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center worked to reduce the infant mortality rates among expectant and new mothers in a program known as Moms2B.

Providers and technology companies are increasingly using digital solutions to improve maternal care.

In October 2020, Alameda Health worked with public health officials to assist Black residents in obtaining prenatal telehealth services. Created by Alameda Health System and the Alameda County Public Health Department, the BElovedBIRTH Black Centering program provided expected and new parents with easy virtual access to providers.

This past March, Google announced steps to create artificial intelligence systems that improved maternal health. Working with Northwestern Medicine, Google has established open-access studies to test the effectiveness of AI in conducting ultrasounds and performing assessments.