Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Takes Action to Improve Maternal Health Outcomes
Insurer to target key risks for Black mothers and babies

BATON ROUGE, La. – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is focusing on how to improve factors that lead to poor birth and maternal health outcomes, particularly for Black mothers who are at higher risk. 

Louisiana ranks among the worst states for birth outcomes, according to the March of Dimes annual report card. The state got an ‘F’ grade based on high rates of preterm births, infants dying before age one, and parents dying during pregnancy or birth. Baton Rouge and New Orleans were among 100 U.S. cities with the highest birth rates and an ‘F’ grade for preterm births. 

“Overall, Louisiana’s death rate during pregnancy and birth is triple the national average. And, Black parents are more likely to have poor infant and maternal health outcomes than white parents. Among Blue Cross members, Black parents have 9 percent of births, but experience 14% of severe maternal morbidities,” said Blue Cross Chief Medical Officer Dr. Stephanie Mills. 

Louisiana has above-average rates of diabetes and high blood pressure. These are risk factors for preterm birth and death during pregnancy and childbirth. It’s important to address these conditions to improve maternal health outcomes so women’s total health is better and pregnancy is safer, Mills said. 

“We need to make it easier for parents to get the care they need before, during and after a pregnancy,” she said. “We developed a strategy to look at the big risk factors for maternal health and target specific areas for improvement.”

The insurer’s strategy to boost health outcomes includes:

• Improved Analytics - using data insights to improve healthcare access

• Clinical Innovation - partnering with network providers to try new health services and programs, then scaling those that work best  

• Thought Leadership & Engagement - collaborating with Louisiana health leaders, employer groups, community organizations and other stakeholders to raise awareness of risks and connect pregnant people with care 

In addition, the strategy aims to:

• Boost rates of people with diabetes or high blood pressure taking medicine as directed
• Examine factors leading to emergency room visits
• Explore behavioral health needs and access

In this video (7:50), Paula Shepherd, a member of Blue Cross’ senior leadership team, shares her personal story. Shepherd talks about biases she faced as a young, Black, low-income woman while pregnant with her first child. 

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