The Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM), in partnership with its managed care plans, is targeting the disparity in the African American infant mortality rate within the state’s ten Ohio Equity Institute (OEI) communities by providing funding to Community Based Organizations (CBOs) that have a link to one of the three following evidence-based models of intervention: CenteringPregnancy, Home Visiting, or Community Health Workers.
The goal of the OEI Evaluation project, which is funded by both ODM and the Ohio Department of Higher Education, is to conduct data analysis in an effort to determine the extent to which the selected interventions serve high-risk Medicaid enrolled pregnant women and assess the effect of these interventions on health care utilization and birth outcomes, including:
- Receipt of progesterone for high-risk women
- Receipt and timing of prenatal care
- Receipt of postpartum care
- Smoking cessation
- NICU stays
- Low birth weight
- Preterm birth
- Infant mortality
The OEI Evaluation project began in February 2018 and extends through June 2024. In partnership with GRC, Dr. Tim Huerta and a team of researchers from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center College of Medicine will lead the development of an online data portal that supports and allows for data collection directly from the CBOs. This data collection effort will capture social and health risk factors pregnant participants have when they enroll in the OEI CBO and throughout their prenatal period, as well as services they receive from the OEI CBO. In addition to quantitative data, the evaluation will also include qualitative data collected through focus groups and interviews with administrators and staff from the CBOs.
This project is supported by the Ohio Department of Medicaid and contributes to the effective and efficient administration of the Medicaid program.
