The impact of the First Steps prenatal care program on birth outcomes among women receiving Medicaid in Washington State

Birth Outcomes Associated with Receipt of Group Prenatal Care Among Low‐Income Hispanic Women

“…Given the pernicious effects of premature birth on neonates’ immediate and long‐term health as well as the significant costs associated with caring for premature neonates, our findings that Hispanic women receiving CenteringPregnancy gave birth to fewer premature neonates and on average gave birth at later gestational ages is notable, as it establishes CenteringPregnancy as a potentially promising model for improving birth outcomes among the fastest growing perinatal population in the United States 19 . Other interventions have demonstrated success in improving premature birth rates for Hispanic women, including intensive home visitation to primiparous Hispanic adolescents, 20 a comprehensive prenatal care intervention that uses a team of community health specialists to provide preventive health and education services, 21 and the use of a mobile van that facilitates earlier and ongoing access to prenatal care services 22 . In contrast with these interventions, when implemented as part of usual perinatal care services, group prenatal care does not require the provision of additional resources because group facilitators (eg, nurse‐midwives, nurse practitioners) are simply changing the mode of delivering prenatal care.…”

Do expert patients get better treatment than others? Agency discrimination and statistical discrimination in obstetrics

“…Several studies have shown that good access to prenatal care prevents complications during delivery and helps to improve infant health (Arima et al, 2009;Currie and Gruber, 1996;Olds et al, 1986). This is also highlighted in WHO's guidelines and recommendations for maternal care (Carroli et al, 2001;Villar et al, 1998).…”

Assessing the Effect on Outcomes of Public or Private Provision of Prenatal Care in Portugal

“…Most research focusing on the effect of healthcare setting on pregnancy outcomes is conducted in the United States [6,7] or in low-income countries [8,9]. Despite improvements in prenatal care use, programs remained centered on specific disadvantaged populations and the evidence regarding universal health services is scarce and out of date.…”