Philips partners for maternal remote patient monitoring in Georgia

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Philips this week announced a new program to provide access to remote patient monitoring and personalized health coaching for pregnant and postpartum people with maternal hypertension and diabetes in an initial 50 counties across Georgia.

Philips, a global healthcare technology company headquartered in the Netherlands, is partnering with Amerigroup, CareSource Georgia and Peach State Health Plan in the program that supports the Georgia Healthy Babies Act. It aims to improve access to prenatal and postpartum healthcare to improve outcomes. 
  
WHY THIS MATTERS

Georgia ranks among the highest for maternal deaths and for maternal health deserts in the country, according to a 2024 March of Dimes report. 

Physician access is one issue, according to Heidi Altman, who two years ago, as an associate professor at Georgia Southern University, conducted the Georgia Moms Project. In some cases, pregnant people were driving hours to see a doctor, she said at the time.

The program initially will give pregnant and postpartum people with maternal hypertension and diabetes access to remote patient monitoring in 50 counties in the state. Licensed clinical professionals will provide personalized health coaching to participants, monitoring them and intervening to avoid possible complications, according to Philips. 

Pregnant women with maternal hypertension or diabetes who are covered by Medicaid can opt in to 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.
 
THE LARGER TREND

Sixty-two percent of pregnancies in this country are identified as high-risk for unexpected complications, according to Philips. Additionally, over 35% of U.S. counties are maternity care deserts, and by 2030, the supply of OB-GYNs in nonmetro U.S. areas is projected to only meet 50% of demand. 

Medicaid covers close to 50% of all births in Georgia. 
 
ON THE RECORD

“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.”
 

Email the writer: SMorse@himss.org