Timely postpartum care for Medicaid enrollees varies considerably, ranging from 17% to 74% among the states, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
A national median of 60% of women saw a health care provider within 21-56 days of their delivery, CMS reported in its Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program Scorecard.
“Medicaid is the largest payer for maternity care in the United States. The program has an important role to play in improving maternal and perinatal health outcomes,” the CMS noted.
New Hampshire’s rate of 74% was the highest of any state, just edging out Maryland and Rhode Island, each at 73%. The only other states over 70% were Connecticut and New York, which both reported rates of 71%, scorecard data show.
In Wyoming, the state with the lowest rate, 17% of Medicaid enrollees received timely postpartum care. The other four states with rates below 40% were Oklahoma (22%), Colorado (35%), Iowa (37%), and Missouri (38%), the CMS said after a recent refresh of data in the scorecard.
“The included populations … can vary by state. For example, some states report data on certain populations such as those covered under managed care but not those covered under fee for service. This variation in data and calculation methods can affect measure performance and comparisons between states,” the CMS said.
The scorecard is based on Mathematica analysis of Medicaid and CHIP Program System reports for the 2017 Adult Core Set, and the measurement period was Nov. 6, 2015, to Nov. 5, 2016. Twelve states did not report data on postpartum care to the CMS.
“More and more states are voluntarily reporting their health outcomes in the scorecard, and the new data is leading us into an era of increased transparency and accountability, so that together we can improve the quality of care we give to the vulnerable Americans that depend on this vital program,” CMS Administrator Seema Verma said in a written statement.