Cleveland Clinic expands maternity program to more hospitals
TeamBirth is a shared decision-making model that focuses on improving communication to bolster quality.
Photo: juanmahache/Getty Images
After adopting a unique labor and delivery initiative in the fall of 2022, Cleveland Clinic is expanding its TeamBirth model to three additional hospitals, citing higher patient satisfaction and a reduction in Cesarean section rates.
Cleveland Clinic described TeamBirth as a shared decision-making model that focuses on improving communication between caregivers and pregnant patients to bolster safety and quality of care. Cleveland Clinic Akron General was the first adopter in October 2022.
In the TeamBirth model, the patient's care team has "huddles" with patients on the birthing units at regular intervals before, during and after delivery to review the patient's current condition and preferences, and to set clear expectations for what is to come.
Whiteboards identifying the patient as the care team leader, the patient's support people, every caregiver on the patient's team, the patient's preferences in care, and the agreed-upon care plans and progress for the patient and baby hang in all rooms in the birthing centers.
WHAT'S THE IMPACT
TeamBirth was created by Ariadne Labs as a part of their Delivery Decisions Initiative. The model was implemented at Akron General through a partnership between March of Dimes and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide safe and equitable maternity care for patients, and to specifically address racial inequities and the disparity gap in outcomes for Black women.
That includes implementation of activities such as maternity-specific implicit bias training, stratification and analysis of outcomes by race and ethnicity, formation of an anti-racism work group and adoption of TeamBirth. The Cleveland Clinic hospitals that are launching TeamBirth are incorporating these aspects into their work as well.
Data from Akron General showed that the hospital's Cesarean-section rate was disproportionately higher for Black patients than white patients before TeamBirth – 41% versus 27%, respectively. As of January 2024, those numbers were 22% for Black patients and 23% for white patients.
Patient satisfaction has improved as well, with the team at Akron General receiving 100% satisfaction rates in areas such as friendliness, nurse promptness, and the doctor and staff working together during birth.
THE LARGER TREND
Implementing TeamBirth supports Cleveland Clinic's Center for Infant and Maternal Health initiative, which was launched in 2023 to support at-risk women from pregnancy through their baby's first year with a focus on improved access and coordinated care across many specialties.
The link between race and maternal health has received increased attention in recent years. In September 2022, for example, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association released data showing evidence that women of color are at higher risk of pregnancy-related complications, regardless of having commercial health insurance or Medicaid.
Instead, the numbers indicate U.S. maternal health disparities are likely the result of broader health system and societal challenges, including underlying chronic conditions, racial inequities and likely biases within the healthcare system itself.
Jeff Lagasse is editor of Healthcare Finance News.
Email: jlagasse@himss.org
Healthcare Finance News is a HIMSS Media publication.
