Quality Improvement Data Support (QIDS)

Focus: Maternal, Infant, and Family Health
Expertise: Quality Improvement Science | Data Visualization

Using Data to Prevent Preterm Birth and Infant Mortality in Ohio

Ohio has one of the highest infant mortality and preterm birth rates in the nation. Preterm birth, defined as infants born prior to 37 weeks, is the leading cause of newborn death and accounts for nearly half of all infant deaths in Ohio, affecting racial and ethnic groups differently. In Ohio, the preterm birth rate for Black women is 45 percent higher than the rate for all other women. Economically, the impact is significant, with the March of Dimes reporting that the health care costs for a preterm infant are ten times higher than the costs for a full-term infant in the first year of life. The Quality Improvement Data Support (QIDS) project seeks to fill data gaps and provide key metrics and visualizations to serve Medicaid members throughout their pregnancy and beyond.  

Web-based System: NurtureOhio

NurtureOhio is a HIPAA-protected technology system that receives, stores and transfers information about individuals on Medicaid who are pregnant and their related health and social needs. The information is collected using the electronic Perinatal Risk Assessment Form (PRAF 2.0, also called the e-PRAF) and the Report of Pregnancy (ROP). 

PRAF and ROP submissions on NurtureOhio alert the Ohio Department of Medicaid, MCOs, and other key stakeholders of a Medicaid member's pregnancy to maintain Medicaid eligibility, aid in enrollment, and facilitate care coordination. Both obstetric and non-obstetric providers of Medicaid services can use the NurtureOhio system to submit PRAFs and ROPs.

Once a user submits either the PRAF or ROP in NurtureOhio, the data is seamlessly transmitted to the following simultaneously:

  • Ohio Medicaid’s eligibility system (OhioBenefits.gov) to ensure Medicaid coverage and resources through one year past the date of delivery.
  • Ohio Department of Health for connection to the Women and Infant Nutrition Program and evidence-based Home Visiting.
  • Manage care organizations of the members, as well as County Departments of Job and Family Services across Ohio, for connection with other needed services.

PRAF-EHR

Beginning in 2023, the NurtureOhio system expanded to allow hospitals and Federally Qualified Health Centers to utilize an automated extraction process via Epic or the Azara DVRS. These extraction processes populate the PRAF form fields from a patient’s electronic health record (EHR). 

Health Technology Vendor: DeliverHealth

GRC subcontracts with DeliverHealth, a health technology vendor, to operate the NurtureOhio website and house data related to the use and administration of the PRAF and ROP.

This project is funded by the Ohio Department of Medicaid and is administered by the GRC.