Memorial Hermann to provide patients access to top remote pregnancy care through Babyscripts; target health inequities, maternal mortality and morbidity
Babyscripts, the leading virtual care platform for managing obstetrics, will partner with Memorial Hermann Health System, one of the largest not-for-profit health systems in Southeast Texas. The goal of the partnership is to overcome barriers to access for underserved populations, reduce maternal health inequities, and lower maternal mortality and morbidity rates by enabling OB-GYNs to offer virtual care experiences to their pregnant and postpartum patients through Babyscripts.
The partnership between Memorial Hermann and Babyscripts will target and address the barriers to care that contribute to Houston’s (and Harris County’s) rates of maternal mortality and morbidity, the highest in Texas at 54.85 per 100,000 live births, according to the most recent data. Black mothers in the county are dying at nearly twice that rate.
“Memorial Hermann strives to make the Greater Houston area a place where every woman’s pregnancy, delivery and postpartum experience is successful and safe,” said Dr. Victoria Regan, vice president of Women’s and Children’s Services at Memorial Hermann. “We are always looking for the newest and most innovative ways to connect with our patients, and we believe our partnership with Babyscripts is continuing that mission.”
“Patients feel most comfortable when they have access to resources endorsed by their care team that are relevant and meaningful for each stage of their pregnancy,” said Jennifer Todd, director of business development for Women’s Services at Memorial Hermann. “Pregnancy can be a stressful experience for new moms, and Babyscripts helps to make the process less strenuous for all of our expectant moms.”
The partnership provides Memorial Hermann’s pregnant and postpartum patients access to Babyscripts myJourney, an app that delivers gestational age-appropriate educational content, email campaigns, satisfaction surveys, appointment reminders and fully customizable practice-specific information, as well as evidence-based guidelines approved by the patient’s obstetrician in the form of daily nutritional, medical and lifestyle action items. Through Babyscripts myJourney, patients are able to track and monitor their weight gain, which has been shown to effectively drive adherence to the Institute of Medicine’s gestational weight gain guidelines and increase postpartum weight loss, according to a study published by physician researchers from George Washington University.
“The ability to access adequate prenatal and postpartum care is one of the largest predictors of maternal and infant health outcomes,” said Anish Sebastian, CEO and co-founder of Babyscripts. “With Babyscripts, Memorial Hermann is able to streamline the maternal health experience across their system, adding opportunities for access and providing consistent, high-quality pregnancy care to all patients, regardless of race, income, geography or risk.”
The Babyscripts myJourney app is launching in a phased approach, beginning with established patients at Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center. Expansion to additional locations is planned.