A group of proactive organizations from across the region are teaming up to test the hypothesis that real-world adoption of interoperability standards will accelerate improvement in maternal health outcomes and reduce infant prematurity.

The pilot will demonstrate episodes of highly coordinated care, increased patient communication and health literacy, reduced provider burden, and support the adoption of value-based care.

Cradle KC is stewarding the initiative in line with their mission to focus on the policy and structural barriers impacting pregnant women and babies in Kansas City, the center of Missouri’s west perinatal region. The pilot will utilize proven health information technologies and standards for secure, effective exchange of information getting the right information to the right people at the right time. HIE’s (LACIE/TIGER/KONZA) serving the Kansas City area will provide admission and discharge notifications to alert the Pilot Provider (New Birth Company) of need-to-know events. The lack of encounters can also signify that crucial prenatal or post-partum visits have not occurred.

The Pilot Provider has engaged a national HSP MaxMD to provide a standards-based communication gateway to prove we can displace expensive and slow email fax servers with Direct Secure Messaging, ADT Notifications and standardized Clinical Notes (C-CDA documents) to be distributed via Direct into EHRs such as EPIC and Oracle Cerner.

With informed consent, Patients will receive a consumer Direct address, a secure MyDigiRecords health records account that they control via access to a mobile app.  Mom will have the choice of starting a lifelong health record account for her baby at birth and sharing these accounts with her primary care providers.