Ohio integrated-care initiative for pregnant women receives honor

A two-year-old initiative that offers integrated case management services to pregnant women with substance use problems has been honored with an award from organizations that promote Medicaid innovations.

The Ohio-based Buckeye Health Plan has received the award for its Addiction in Pregnancy Program, under which participants have demonstrated significantly higher rates of engagement in addiction treatment than what is seen in the broader Buckeye population. The program also has halved the average amount of time newborns are spending in intensive neonatal care, and is seeing rates of 40% of mothers remaining drug-free at 18 months post-delivery. Obstetric and behavioral health services are offered in an integrated fashion under the program.

“This program provides a judgment-free zone for these expectant moms to find the tools and resources to improve their lives and the lives of their babies,” Buckeye Health Plan chief medical officer Brad Lucas, MD, said in a news release.

The award, for most innovative maternal health practice, was presented by Medicaid Health Plan of America and its sister organization, the Institute for Medicaid Innovation.