Assesses access to prenatal and postpartum care:
- Timeliness of Prenatal Care. The percentage of deliveries in which women had a prenatal care visit in the first trimester, on or before the enrollment start date or within 42 days of enrollment in the organization.
- Postpartum Care. The percentage of deliveries in which women had a postpartum visit on or between 7 and 84 days after delivery.
Why It Matters
Each year, about four million women in the U.S. give birth, with one million women having one or more complications during pregnancy, labor and delivery or the postpartum period.1 Studies indicate that as many as 60% of all pregnancy-related deaths could be prevented if women had better access to health care, received better quality of care and made changes in their health and lifestyle habits.1 Timely and adequate prenatal and postpartum care can set the stage for the long-term health and well-being of new mothers and their infants.2
Joint guidelines published by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommend a prenatal visit in the first trimester for all women.3 ACOG also recommends that all women have contact with their obstetrician-gynecologists or other obstetric providers within 3 weeks postpartum, followed by ongoing care as needed, concluding with a comprehensive postpartum visit no later than 12 weeks after birth.2
Results – National Averages
Timeliness of Prenatal Care
| Measure Year | Commerical HMO | Commercial PPO | Medicaid HMO |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 85 | 74.8 | 83 |
| 2021 | 83.1 | 73.4 | 83.5 |
| 2020 | 79.6 | 73.7 | 83.8 |
| 2019 | 85.8 | 74.1 | 87.4 |
| 2018 | 85.7 | 78.9 | 81.5 |
| 2017 | 84.2 | 77.2 | 81.1 |
| 2016 | 85.1 | 76.4 | 81.7 |
| 2015 | 83.7 | 74.9 | 80.0 |
| 2014 | 87.5 | 79.6 | 82.4 |
| 2013 | 90.9 | 82.2 | 81.9 |
| 2012 | 89.6 | 80.9 | 82.9 |
| 2011 | 91.0 | 81.9 | 82.7 |
| 2010 | 91.0 | 75.7 | 83.7 |
| 2009 | 93.1 | 61.9 | 83.4 |
| 2008 | 92.4 | 55.5 | 81.9 |
| 2007 | 91.9 | 46.0 | 81.5 |
| 2006 | 90.6 | 61.9 | 81.2 |
| 2005 | 91.8 | 74.6 | 79.6 |
| 2004 | 90.8 | - | 78.2 |
| 2003 | 89.4 | - | 76.5 |
| 2002 | 86.7 | - | 70.4 |
| 2001 | 85.1 | - | 72.9 |
Postpartum Care
| Measure Year | Commerical HMO | Commercial PPO | Medicaid HMO |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 83.9 | 76.2 | 77 |
| 2021 | 82.2 | 74.3 | 76.2 |
| 2020 | 77.4 | 71.7 | 75.1 |
| 2019 | 80.7 | 72.6 | 75.2 |
| 2018 | 76.5 | 69.0 | 63.6 |
| 2017 | 74.9 | 67.5 | 64.4 |
| 2016 | 74.1 | 65.9 | 63.7 |
| 2015 | 73.2 | 63.1 | 60.9 |
| 2014 | 76.9 | 68.4 | 61.8 |
| 2013 | 80.7 | 70.9 | 61.3 |
| 2012 | 80.1 | 70.0 | 63.0 |
| 2011 | 80.6 | 71.3 | 64.1 |
| 2010 | 80.7 | 65.9 | 64.4 |
| 2009 | 83.6 | 54.1 | 64.1 |
| 2008 | 82.8 | 45.8 | 62.6 |
| 2007 | 82.0 | 41.6 | 58.6 |
| 2006 | 79.9 | 46.3 | 59.1 |
| 2005 | 81.5 | 62.8 | 57.2 |
| 2004 | 80.6 | - | 56.5 |
| 2003 | 80.3 | - | 55.3 |
| 2002 | 77.0 | - | 52.1 |
| 2001 | 77.0 | - | 53.0 |
This State of Healthcare Quality Report classifies health plans differently than NCQA’s Quality Compass. HMO corresponds to All LOBs (excluding PPO and EPO) within Quality Compass. PPO corresponds to PPO and EPO within Quality Compass.
Figures do not account for changes in the underlying measure that could break trending. Contact Information Products via my.ncqa.org for analysis that accounts for trend breaks.
References
- CDC Review to Action. (2018). Building U.S. Capacity to Review and Prevent Maternal Deaths. Report from nine maternal mortality review committees. Retrieved from http://reviewtoaction.org/Report_from_Nine_MMRCs
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). (2018). Optimizing Postpartum Care. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 736. Obstet Gynecol, 131:140-150.
- American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2017). Guidelines for perinatal care. 8th ed. Elk Grove Village, Ill. American Academy of Pediatrics, and Washington, DC.