The Maternity Medical Home: The Chassis for a More Holistic Model of Pregnancy Care?

Many health systems and states in the US attempting to scale Triple Aim approaches to care implemented elements of the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) as a foundation in their work. The PCMH model is designed to track patients over time, be more patient-centered, and coordinate multiple services and supports necessary to provide proactive care focused on health. Adaptations of the PCMH model have also arisen, targeted to specific populations such as cancer care, geriatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology.
Over the past year, IHI has worked to understand optimal population-focused models for maternity care in the US, especially for low-income populations. Given the broad longitudinal impact of early health interventions and outcomes, the opportunity to impact the Triple Aim overall, as well as the negative consequences of suboptimal maternity care for the US health care system and for society in general, it is of utmost importance to improve care for this population.
While the maternity medical home model is relatively early in development in most parts of the US, some early evidence exists of its positive impact on birth outcomes. Further, the maternity medical home offers a means to organize and anchor other interventions, and ensure coordination of often fragmented social, behavioral, and health services.