New CMS Rules Finalized Addressing Medicaid Provider Network Adequacy and Appointment Wait Times - Here’s What They Mean for Maternal Mental Health

May 08, 2024 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health Policy Team in POLICY

The new rules address “new standards to help states improve their monitoring of access to care by requiring the establishment of new standards for appointment wait times, use of secret shopper surveys, use of enrollee experience surveys, and requiring states to submit a managed care plan analysis of payments made by plans to providers for specific services, to monitor plans’ network adequacy more closely.”

Congress Recognizes Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week 2024

May 06, 2024 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health in Access to Treatment

Today, Congress introduced a resolution declaring May 5-11, 2024 “Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week” - marking the first time Congress has officially recognized Maternal Mental Health Awareness.

Esketamine Found to Reduce Postpartum Depression

May 03, 2024 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health in Access to Treatment

A new study shows that a low-dose injection of eskatamine given after childbirth reduces major depressive episodes in those with depression during pregnancy by about 75% at 42 days postpartum. Low-dose ketamine or esketamine has previously been shown to reduce depression in mothers having a cesarean delivery but had excluded mothers with depression during pregnancy from the study.

The First Digital Therapeutic for Maternal Mental Health is Approved by the FDA

April 26, 2024 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health in Access to Treatment

This week, the first Digital therapeutics (DTx) for maternal mental health, MamaLift Plus™, was approved by the FDA. The treatment, developed by Curio, was studied by randomized control trial. Patients with mild to moderate postpartum depression who used the treatment improved by four or more points on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS).

First Ever Clinically Validated Natural Supplement to Reduce Baby Blues Symptoms Now Available in the U.S.

April 19, 2024 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health in Access to Treatment

New over-the-counter supplement, BluesAway, hits the U.S. market as the first ever, clinically validated, natural supplement to prevent the baby blues

Maternal Mental Health Care - Obstetric Provider Services Billing and Reimbursement Guide

April 18, 2024 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health in POLICY

The following guidance was developed for reference by payors and obstetric providers (midwives, Ob/Gyns and family practice providers who provide maternity care), culling together the latest behavioral health integration protocol, resources from clinical bodies and the National Committee for Quality Assurance, Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measures for perinatal depression.

Expanding Consumer Access to Infant Formula - A Policy Strategy

April 11, 2024 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health in POLICY

In this blog we give the latest updates on the aftermath of the Abbott infant formula recall of February 2022 and the U.S. FDA's proactive measures to ensure infant formula safety and accessibility. Dive into the insights provided by the Food and Drug Omnibus Reform Act of 2022, mandating the FDA to address formula shortages.

Maternal Mental Health Screening Script

April 08, 2024 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health in POLICY

This maternal mental health screening script is designed for obstetric providers, the primary care provider during the perinatal period; however, the script can be adapted to other settings

Executive Order and New Actions to Advance Women’s Health Research and Innovation

March 29, 2024 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health Policy Team in POLICY

On March 18, the Biden Administration signed a new Executive Order outlining directives to ensure women’s health is integrated into the federal research portfolio and budget. More than 20 new actions and commitments by federal agencies to advance women's health research were included in this announcement. This follows the First Lady Dr. Jill Biden’s recent announcement of $100 million in women’s health funding through Sprint for Women’s Health, which “intends to fundamentally change the trajectory of women’s health care research and radically accelerate the next generation of discoveries”.

New Pilot: Embedding Community Health Workers into Ob/Gyn Clinics

March 18, 2024 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health in POLICY

The Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health (the “Policy Center”) is announcing the launch of a new pilot project titled, “Improving Maternal Mental Health by Embedding Community Health Workers (CHWs) in Obstetric Settings.”

Policy Center Urges NCQA to Require Mandatory HEDIS Reporting for Postpartum Depression

March 14, 2024 by Joy Burkhard, MBA in POLICY

On March 13, the Policy Center team submitted the following letter to the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). The letter was submitted in response to the HEDIS public comment period.

HHS Announces Final Phase Winners in Challenge to Enhance Racial Equity in Postpartum Care

March 13, 2024 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health Policy Team in POLICY

In an announcement released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded winners in the final phase of the $1.8 million HHS Racial Equity in Postpartum Care Challenge. This nationwide endeavor, spearheaded by the HHS Office on Women’s Health (OWH) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), aims to advance equity in postpartum care for Black or African American and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) women enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

2023 State Maternal Mental Health Legislation Report

March 08, 2024 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health in Reports

There was a significant increase in the number of states that passed maternal mental health legislation and awareness resolutions in 2023. In 2023, 14 States and DC passed maternal mental health legislation (the most states in any single legislative session), including AR, CA, CT, DC, DE, IL, KY, LA, MA, NV, NY, SC, TX, HI, WA.

New Bill Introduced to Support Military Maternal Mental Health

March 06, 2024 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health Policy Team in POLICY

On January 25th 2024, Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) and Don Bacon (R-NE) introduced the bipartisan, bicameral ‘‘Maintaining our Obligation to Moms who Serve Act’’ or the ‘‘MOMS Act” (H.R.7087). A companion bill in the Senate was introduced by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE)(S.3641).

HHS Launches Postpartum Maternal Health Collaborative

March 01, 2024 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health Policy Team in POLICY

On Wednesday, February 14, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) unveiled the Secretary's Postpartum Maternal Health Collaborative. This groundbreaking initiative, announced by Secretary Xavier Becerra, aims to address the critical issue of postpartum mortality by fostering collaboration among state leaders, community partners, and federal experts.

A Comprehensive Look at State Maternal Mental Health Screening and Reimbursement Legislation

February 23, 2024 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health in Reports

This report summarizes state legislative mandates addressing maternal mental health (MMH) screening and reimbursement for screening. Ten states have passed legislation addressing maternal mental health screening (AR, CA, FL, IL, LA, NJ, NV, OK, and WV), and three states (AR, NV, and WA) passed legislation regarding Medicaid coverage/reimbursement for screening.

Celebrating Black Advocates for Maternal Mental Health

February 16, 2024 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health in ANNOUNCEMENTS

Throughout history, Black women have been at the forefront of social change, advocating for their rights, their families, and their communities. In the realm of maternal mental health, their contributions are immeasurable. This month, we want to shine a spotlight on their resilience, strength, and the vital role they play in supporting maternal mental health.

CMS Announces New Options for States in Extending Postpartum Medicaid

February 15, 2024 by Joy Burkhard, MBA in ANNOUNCEMENTS

In January 2024, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare (CMS) released new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) titled “Improving Maternal Health and Extending Postpartum Coverage in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP),” providing new options for states in extending postpartum Medicaid coverage.

My Testimony in Favor of Tracking How Often Prenatal Depression Screening Occurs

February 09, 2024 by Joy Burkhard, MBA in ANNOUNCEMENTS

On Tuesday, February 6, I provided the following testimony in support of state Medicaid agencies measuring how often screening and follow-up are occurring for depression in pregnancy. This was through the CMS Medicaid Core Set working group, which evaluates measures for consideration as mandatory for state Medicaid agencies to report.

Comment Letter to the Maternal Mental Health Task Force

February 09, 2024 by Joy Burkhard, MBA in POLICY

On February 8, the Policy Center team submitted the following letter to the Maternal Mental Health Task Force in response to the Task Force’s “Solicitation for Public Comments on Questions from the Task Force on Maternal Mental Health,” which over 50 national and regional organizations signed on to.