Accelerating Equitable Access to Midwifery-led Birth Center Care Through Integration with Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)

Jordana Frost, DrPH, MPH, CPH

Deputy Director, Institute for Medicaid Innovation | Read Bio

The midwifery-led birth center care model continues to gain attention due to rising interests in identifying and scaling high-quality, high-value models of care that improve pregnancy outcomes, lower health care expenditures, and reduce disparities. Funders, health care administrators, policy makers, midwives, collaborating physicians, and other system partners have an interest and role in supporting the acceleration of equitable access to midwifery-led birth center care, particularly for individuals with low-risk pregnancies who stand to benefit the most from utilizing this model of care but do not yet have access to it. Freestanding birth centers continue to optimize ways in which they can stabilize and become sustainable long-term, while diversifying their client mix to include more Medicaid-insured patients. An innovative pathway to mitigate threats to sustainability and expand access for Medicaid-insured patients is integration with Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Dr. Frost will share an overview of the benefits and drawbacks of this integrated model, as well as opportunities for coordinated investment efforts in support of this innovative solution.