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. 1987 Spring;8(3):83-6.

Low-birth-weight rate reduced by the obstetrical access project

J A Lennie, J R Klun, T Hausner

Low-birth-weight rate reduced by the obstetrical access project

J A Lennie et al. Health Care Financ Rev. 1987 Spring.

Abstract

Obstetrical (OB) access was a Medicaid pilot project that operated in 13 California counties from July 1979 through June 1982. The project goals were to both improve access to care in underserved areas and improve pregnancy outcomes by providing enhanced prenatal care, including psychosocial, health education, and nutrition services. The project registered 6,774 women. The findings were: 87 percent of the registrants started prenatal care during the first or second trimester; 84 percent of the registrants completed care in the project; OB access mothers had a low-birth-weight rate of 4.7 percent, compared with 7.0 percent for a matched control group, suggesting a 33-percent reduction in low birth weight through the project; and the benefit-cost ratio of this program was about 2 to 1 for the short run because of savings in neonatal intensive care services. The State of California approved legislation in 1984 authorizing the project's scope of services for the Medi-Cal recipients on a statewide basis.

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References

    1. California Department of Health Services, Maternal and Child Health Branch. Evaluation of the Obstetrical Access Pilot Project. Sacramento, Calif.: 1984. Grant No. 11-P-97578/9-03. Prepared for Health Care Financing Administration.
    1. California Department of Health Services, Office of Planning and Program Analysis. Increasing Access to Obstetrical Services in the Medi-Cal Program. Sacramento, Calif.: 1977.
    1. Center for Population and Reproductive Health. Evaluation of the Teenage Pregnancy and Parenting Project, Family Service Agency of San Francisco, October 1, 1982-September 30, 1983. San Francisco: Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California; 1984.
    1. Institute of Medicine, Committee to Study the Prevention of Low Birth Weight. Preventing Low Birth Weight. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press; 1985.
    1. Korenbrot C. Comprehensive Prenatal Care as a Medi-Cal Benefit: Expected Costs and Savings. San Francisco, Calif.: Institute for Health Policy Studies. University of California; 1982.