Philips, Amerigroup, CareSource Georgia, and Peach State Health Plan to Address Maternal Health Deserts in Georgia with Innovative Remote Patient Monitoring Technologies

Business Wire

Collaboration aims to help improve access to prenatal and postpartum healthcare and improve outcomes for high-risk pregnancies with maternal hypertension and diabetes

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, Amerigroup, CareSource Georgia, and Peach State Health Plan have partnered to provide remote monitoring solutions to expand access to quality healthcare for high-risk pregnancies in the state. In support of the Georgia Healthy Babies Act, the program will initially give pregnant and postpartum people with maternal hypertension and diabetes in 50 counties access to remote patient monitoring. Licensed clinical professionals will provide personalized health coaching to participants, monitoring them and intervening to avoid possible complications.

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Philips remote monitoring for maternal health (Photo: Business Wire)

“Amerigroup is proud to collaborate on this important initiative, which aims to significantly improve maternal health outcomes in Georgia through innovative remote monitoring solutions,” said Dr. Truddie Darden, Chief Medical Director for Amerigroup Georgia. “Together, we strive to make transformative progress and have a life-changing impact on vulnerable mothers and babies across the state.”

“Peach State Health Plan is dedicated to moving the needle for Georgian moms by working with strong partners and implementing innovative solutions that support and improve their care,” said Laquanda Brooks, Senior Vice President, Population Health and Clinical Operations at Peach State Health Plan. “Through remote patient monitoring and by taking a personalized approach to care, we’re better positioned to support mothers and their babies and improve maternity outcomes in Georgia.”

Maternal healthcare in the U.S. is a national priority, with 62% of pregnancies identified as high risk for unexpected complications [1], including an 81.3% increase in hypertension and 50% in diabetes [2]. Additionally, over 35% [2] of US counties are maternity care deserts and by 2030, the supply of OB-GYNs in non-metro U.S. areas is projected to only meet 50% of demand [3]. In Georgia, Medicaid covers close to 50% of all births and the state ranks 31^st of 40 in maternal mortality [4], prompting the state’s lawmakers to introduce new bills that increase support for Medicaid-eligible families, including new remote technologies that can provide a lifeline in maternal health deserts.

“Our members are working moms, moms who face challenges with childcare or transportation, and moms in rural Georgia who have limited access to healthcare,” said Lisa Pennington, senior manager of population health, CareSource Georgia. “By bringing care right to their homes through connected devices, we’re offering them timely, personalized healthcare that can make a real difference in the health and well-being of moms and babies, no matter where they live in the state.”

Pregnant women with maternal hypertension or diabetes who are covered by Medicaid can opt into the program and will receive appropriate monitoring devices. A Philips licensed nurse, dietitian, and certified diabetes care and education specialist will then walk them through how to use the devices as well as schedule coaching calls. The clinicians receive an alert if a participant’s blood glucose or blood pressure is out of range and reach out to see if they can help provide coaching, identify additional symptoms, and determine if the participant needs to see their provider. The remote monitoring continues for up to 90 days postpartum.

“Philips is committed to improving maternal healthcare and ensuring that all expectant women have access to high-quality prenatal and postpartum care,” said Jennifer Law, Maternal Health Leader at Philips. “We enable this through partnerships with innovative organizations like Peach State Health Plan, Amerigroup, and CareSource that share our mission of improving lives. It takes an ecosystem of innovators, providers, payers, and policymakers working together to ensure a healthy pregnancy and start for every mom and child.”

FOR REPORTERS: Patients, providers and payers are available for interviews.

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4728153/

[2] Nowhere to Go: March of Dimes 2024 Maternity Care Deserts Report US

[3] Why Health Care Is Harder to Access in Rural America
[4] 2024 March of Dimes Report Card for Georgia

About Amerigroup Georgia

Amerigroup Community Care of Georgia helps improve healthcare access and quality for more than 500,000 low-income Georgians by developing innovative care management programs and services. Members are assured care that is not only accessible but also accountable, comprehensive, integrated, and patient centered. Amerigroup Georgia provides ongoing community relations and outreach to encourage members to become active participants in their health care. Through health education programs, members are empowered to choose and sustain a healthy lifestyle. For more information about Amerigroup Community Care of Georgia, visit www.myamerigroup.com/ga.

About CareSource Georgia

CareSource is a nonprofit, managed care organization making health care accessible to 430,000 Georgians. The organization offers comprehensive health insurance plans including Medicaid, Health Insurance Marketplace and Medicare to improve its members’ health and well-being. As a mission-driven organization, CareSource is transforming health care with innovative programs that address social determinants of health, health equity, prevention and access to care. For more, visit us at www.caresource.com/ga/plans/, or follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook.

About Peach State Health Plan

Peach State Health Plan is a Care Management Organization that serves the needs of Georgians through a range of health insurance solutions. Peach State Health Plan serves the Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids® population in partnership with Georgia Families. The organization also focuses on under-insured and uninsured individuals through its federal insurance marketplace plan, Ambetter, and its Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (PDP) through WellCare. Peach State Health Plan is a wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, a leading healthcare enterprise committed to helping people live healthier lives. For more information visit www.pshp.com.

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people’s health and well-being through meaningful innovation. Philips’ patient- and people-centric innovation leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver personal health solutions for consumers and professional health solutions for healthcare providers and their patients in the hospital and the home.

Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, ultrasound, image-guided therapy, monitoring and enterprise informatics, as well as in personal health. Philips generated 2024 sales of EUR 18 billion and employs approximately 67,800 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.

*The opinions and clinical experiences presented herein are specific to the featured topic(s) and are not linked to any specific patient and are for information purposes only. The medical experience(s) derived from specified topic(s) may not be predictive of all patients. Individual results may vary depending on a variety of patient-specific attributes and related factors. Nothing in this article is intended to provide specific medical advice or to take the place of written law or regulations.