MO HealthNet Division, Missouri Department of Social Services in Partnership with St. Louis Integrated Health Network Launches Group Prenatal Care Additional Reimbursement

[St. Louis, Missouri, November 16, 2023] MO HealthNet has announced implementation of additional reimbursement for group prenatal care across Missouri. MO HealthNet, in partnership with the St. Louis Integrated Health Network, is hosting a group prenatal care additional reimbursement launch event at 9:00am on January 12 at Affinia Healthcare, 1717 Biddle Street St. Louis, Missouri 63106. Group prenatal care models are designed to improve patient education and include opportunities for social support while maintaining the risk screening and physical assessment of individual prenatal care.

Kirk Mathews, Chief Transformation officer at MO HealthNet: “We are excited to announce the launch of additional reimbursement to providers conducting evidenced-based group prenatal visits for their patients. We believe this is a great step toward eliminating the racial disparities in maternal/infant health outcomes that have existed far too long.”

Group prenatal care has demonstrated reduction in preterm birth, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions; increased birth weight for term and preterm infants; increased rates of breastfeeding initiation and continuation; decreased emergency department visits in the third trimester; improved pregnancy-related weight management; an increase in patients presenting in active labor and at greater cervical dilatation; increased patient, obstetrician and other obstetric care provider satisfaction; and improved knowledge of childbirth, family planning, postpartum depression, and early child rearing. Group prenatal care is a billable healthcare visit. Group prenatal care additional reimbursements are increased payment for the evidence-based group prenatal care model, aimed at expanding access to group prenatal care.

“We are grateful for the support of MO HealthNet, the Medicaid Transformation Team at MO HealthNet, Affinia Healthcare, Washington University School of Medicine and our many other partners for their efforts to launch additional reimbursements for group prenatal care,” said Andwele Jolly, President & CEO of the St. Louis Integrated Health Network, “Group prenatal care will impact many Missouri moms and babies and allow them to be partners in their pregnancy care.”

Group Prenatal Care Additional Reimbursement Launch Event