The Maternal Cardiac Program: Forging Clinical and Community Partnerships to Reduce Disparities Among Pregnant and Postpartum Women with Cardiac Conditions

Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) created the Maternal Cardiac Program (MCP) to address gaps in the identification, referral and treatment of pregnant and postpartum women who have increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The MCP goals are to 1) implement a validated CVD risk assessment tool to identify pregnant and postpartum women at increased risk of CVD and refer them to the Georgia Heart Institute’s Women's Heart Center for follow-up care by a multidisciplinary team; 2) reach women before, during and after pregnancy, regardless of rural residency status, insurance status, or country of origin. This focus on providing patient centered, equitable care is supported through remote patient monitoring and telehealth strategies, as well as collaborations with health outreach organizations for low resourced populations in the community; 3) collect and report patient data to the Georgia Perinatal Quality Collaborative (GaPQC) based on cardiac indicators identified by the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM). In addition to cardiac metrics, the AIM Cardiac Bundle includes elements of respectful and equitable care; and 4) support the surveillance and programmatic needs of the State's Maternal Health Task Force.
The five-year, $5 million grant awarded to NGHS by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as part of the State Maternal Health Innovation (MHI) and Data Capacity Program will support Georgia's data capacity needs, address maternal health disparities, and seek to improve maternal health outcomes.