Mental health issues and substance use disorder are one of the contributing factors to America’s high maternal mortality rates, in addition to poverty, racism, and lack of access to adequate health care. Last year, the CDC reported that suicide accounts for 9% of the maternal mortality rate 1 year postpartum. Anxiety, perinatal and postpartum depression, and birth-related PTSD are the most common complications of pregnancy and childbirth, affecting 1 in 5 individuals, and for those affect, 75% do not get treatment. Women of color are both more likely to experience these conditions and also also less likely to seek help.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Heather Waters, LCSW who leads the maternal health and children’s health services team at Inland Empire Health Plan, a managed care plan serving more than 1.4 million residents on Medi-Cal in California.

She tells us about a new maternal mental health program at IEHP aimed at supporting new mothers, both before they give birth and afterwards.

Addressing Maternal Mortality in Medicaid by Focusing on Mental Health

To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our second episode in which we learn all about Freedom House 2.0 and the Pathways to Work Program from its very own Dan LaVallee, senior director, Social Impact, UPMC Health Plan, and Markisha Jones, a Pathways to Work/Freedom House 2.0 graduate.

Overcoming Employment Barriers for Lasting Social Impact: Freedom House 2.0 and Pathways to Work

To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our third episode and our conversation with Camille Clarke-Smith, EdD, MS, CHES, CPT, program director of quality improvement/Medicare/SNP STARs at UPMC Health Plan, which includes the UPMC for Life Medicare Faith and Wellness Program.

Empowering Community Health Through Wellness and Faith

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the University of Pennsylvania's Ravi Parikh, MD, MPP, and Aaron Schwartz, MD, PhD, 2 authors of a study published in the April 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care®.

Their study, "Trends in Low-Value Cancer Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic," discusses how rates of low-value cancer services among adults with newly diagnosed cancer persisted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Examining Low-Value Cancer Care Trends Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our final episode of this limited series and our conversation with Janine Jelks-Seale, MSPPM, director of health equity at UPMC Health Plan.

Tackling Health Inequality: The Power of Education and Experience

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with Karen Iapoce, senior director of government products and programs at ZeOmega. We discussed CMS's recent Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage final rule and how it affects enrollees and health plans.

CMS Medicare Final Rule: Advancing Benefits, Competition, and Consumer Protection

In the series debut episode of Frameworks for Advancing Health Equity, Mary Sligh, CRNP, and Chelsea Chappars, of Allegheny Health Network, explain how the Urban Health Outreach program aims to improve health equity for individuals experiencing homelessness.

Frameworks for Advancing Health Equity: Urban Health Outreach

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with Illinois CancerCare's Pankaj Kumar, MD, and Stephanie Parker, PharmD, 2 authors of a commentary published in the May 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care.

Their commentary, "Access Denied: CMS’ Action Hurts Patients With Cancer in Rural America," discusses how recent CMS rules restricted the access of rural patients with cancer to medically integrated pharmacies, emphasizing the need for regulatory change.

Cancer Care Crisis: Experts Discuss CMS Restrictions Impacting Rural Patients With Cancer

In this episode of Managed Care Cast, Nihar Desai, MD, MPH, cardiologist and vice chief of Cardiology at the Yale School of Medicine, discusses therapies for cardiovascular conditions as they relate to patient adherence, polypharmacy, and health access.

Addressing Maternal Mortality in Medicaid by Focusing on Mental Health

Managed Care Cast

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