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Nine ACAP Safety Net Health Plans Commit to Including Healthy Birthing Designation in their Provider Directories
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 13, 2022
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Jeff Van Ness, (202) 204-7515, jvanness@communityplans.net
NINE ACAP SAFETY NET HEALTH PLANS COMMIT TO INCLUDING HEALTHY BIRTHING DESIGNATION IN THEIR PROVIDER DIRECTORIES
WASHINGTON—Today, the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP) announced that nine of its member Safety Net Health Plans have committed to indicating in their provider directories which of their in-network hospitals are designated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as “birthing friendly.”
The new designation, unveiled last April in a proposed rule, serves as a means for consumers to quickly indicate which hospitals have met certain criteria to indicate that they deliver high-quality maternity care in a safe and equitable manner. Extending the designation to provider directories will help guide the choices of expecting mothers, physicians, and other health care stakeholders.
The nine Safety Net Health Plans that have committed to designating birthing-friendly hospitals include:
- AlohaCare (Hawaii)
- Banner University Health Plans (Ariz.)
- Chorus Community Health Plan (Wisc.)
- Community Health Plan of Washington
- Driscoll Health Plan (Texas)
- El Paso Health (Texas)
- Partnership Health Plan of California
- Texas Children’s Health Plan
- UPMC for You (Pa.)
“We are excited that so many of our member Safety Net Health Plans have stepped up to include this designation in their provider directories,” said ACAP CEO Margaret A. Murray. “It’s a reflection of our plans’ commitment to providing their beneficiaries with high-quality care—and a step that we hope will drive real improvements in maternal care.”
The United States leads high-income countries in maternal mortality rates, with approximately 20 maternal deaths for every 100,000 births. The rate is three to four times higher for Black women. These alarming statistics make addressing maternal mortality, and inequities in maternal mortality rates, crucial to the wellbeing of mothers in the United States.
The birthing-friendly hospital designation is part of a suite of efforts to improve maternal care as part of CMS’s We Can Do Better: Advancing Maternity Care Together event.
For more information, visit www.communityplans.net.
About ACAP:
ACAP represents 74 health plans, which collectively provide health coverage to more than 20 million people. Safety Net Health Plans serve their members through Medicaid, Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the Marketplace and other publicly-sponsored health programs. For more information, visit www.communityplans.net.
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