We’ve seen considerable advancements in telehealth over just the past few years. But no matter the strides it makes, telehealth will always have a limitation; it can’t entirely replace in-person healthcare. And so we’re increasingly seeing a hybrid approach, with telehealth platforms and in-home health services working together in a symbiotic relationship of mutual support. One such union is the recent partnership between the mobile-care provider MedArive and Ouma Health, a telehealth company specializing in maternal care.
What does each side bring to the partnership? The Ouma telehealth platform offers ultrasound interpretation by physicians who are maternal-fetal medicine specialists, remote patient monitoring to help manage conditions including hypertension and diabetes, lactation guidance, and counseling for substance-use issues, among other services. MedArrive has a network of EMTs, paramedics, RNs, and other healthcare professionals to deploy for in-home visits. This in-person care focuses on health assessments, diagnostics, and preventative measures.
MedArrive says the “joint solution is particularly important for underserved populations that are typically harder to engage, like those that live in rural regions or poorer urban areas.” MedArrive CEO Dan Trigub says, “Ouma gives our platform the power to improve the health of one of the most important populations in America, mothers and newborns…[and] to give healthcare organizations — and especially managed Medicaid plans — the ability to address the maternal health crisis in America while also reducing their costs.”
The maternal health crisis that Trigub speaks of is indeed dire. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that 4 in 5 pregnancy-related deaths in the United States are preventable. The CDC cites data showing that 22% of these deaths happen during pregnancy, 25% during the delivery week, and 53% during the first year after pregnancy. Treatable causes for these deaths include excessive bleeding, heart conditions, infections, blood clots, and issues related to high blood pressure.
Ouma CEO Dr. Sina Haeri believes the new partnership helps remove some roadblocks to much-needed maternal care. Dr. Haeri says, “[It’s] a hybrid care model that reaches into the patient’s home, removes the burden of taking time off, finding childcare, or absorbing the cost of transportation to see a maternity specialist.”
