March 11, 2020
New Women’s and Family Health Product Offers Integrated Maternity Management
Compared to just a few years ago, consumers today demand mobile solutions that deliver real-time, personalized guidance. That’s especially true when it comes to fertility, pregnancy and parenting.
All three services are packaged in our Women’s and Family Health product that offers a modern, flexible and integrated approach into parenthood for maternity management – from pre-pregnancy to delivery to ongoing parenting support. The product is available to 151+ fully insured and ASO groups.
What’s included: The package – included with Wellbeing Management and Health Advocacy Solutions – features education, coaching and maternity management solutions that can improve clinical outcomes and result in cost savings.
The program shifts away from previous maternity management efforts to include more digital tools and resources. While tools are available for members to self-manage, additional support is available for women who may benefit from increased opportunities for intervention. Maternity members identified as high risk will be contacted by specialists to discuss their cases and ongoing support.
Interactive digital tools: A key aspect to our new program is the Ovia HealthTM app, which offers three digital solutions in one. The app’s interactive tools provide educational articles and videos, health tips, in-app coaching and more.
We believe our program can identify and provide help to high-risk pregnancies sooner – possibly even two-to-three months sooner.
- Ovia Fertility features a fertility tracker, ovulation calculator and cycle calendar to help members predict when they are more likely to get pregnant.
- Ovia Pregnancy helps members monitor their pregnancy and baby’s growth. Clinical information is also shared with us when members are identified as a high-risk maternity case.
- Ovia Parenting includes tools to help parents chart a child’s development from birth through three years old.
Addressing a serious issue: In 2018, one of every 10 infants 
in the United States was born too early, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Race and ethnicity matter when it comes to preterm birth rates. In 2018, the preterm birth rate for African American women was 14% ‒ nearly 40 percent more than white women.
How it works: Previously, we relied on a 14-week sonogram to identify pregnancies and screen whether an expectant mother might be a high-risk pregnancy. However, the Ovia app now drives real-time responses, which allows us to identify high-risk conditions – such as preeclampsia (high blood pressure, protein in the urine, swelling), diabetes, history of preterm birth and more – almost instantaneously.
The app provides members a “click to call” option if they want to talk to a nurse. On a daily basis, Ovia securely shares member-level insights (with member permission) on high-risk individuals with our team based on 67 triggers. All of these will prompt a nurse case manager to call the member.
What you can do: Contact your sales representative to learn more about Ovia and how it can help improve oversight of high-risk pregnancies for your large group clients. And we can provide them with promotional materials to help drive employee engagement.
Ovia Health is an independent company that provides maternity and family benefits solutions for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois.
A similar article was included in the February BlueVISION employer newsletter for large and national accounts.
