Early Signs of Success for Missouri's New Notification of Pregnancy.

Abstract

Objectives: This article describes changes in contact rates, care management (CM) engagement rates, and timeliness of notification after implementation of a new notification of pregnancy (NOP) process by MO HealthNet (Missouri Medicaid) and its 3 managed care organizations (MCOs).

Study design: This is an observational study, reporting on all data collected by MO HealthNet during the pilot phase and since implementation of the new statewide NOP process, which includes an assessment of clinical and social risks submitted to MCOs by health care providers.

Methods: Descriptive methods are employed to report average contact rates and average care management engagement rates, compared with the MCOs' prior averages. Box-and-whisker plots depict data on gestational weeks of pregnancy over time since the start of the project.

Results: Upon statewide implementation, MCOs are successfully contacting 52.8% of all members, compared with an average of 29.3% before the new NOP. Of those contacted, MCOs are engaging 39.7%, compared with 17.0%. Moreover, the median gestational age at NOP submission has declined from 13 to 12 weeks. As of the end of June 2025, 75% of women receive NOP screening by 17 weeks' gestation, representing a consistent improvement since statewide implementation.

Conclusions: Implementing a comprehensive, statewide NOP process, reimbursing health care providers for their time, and adding new outreach and provider communication requirements to the Medicaid MCOs may assist state Medicaid programs in addressing their maternal/infant health concerns.