CoIIN: Interconception Care

Interconception care is the time between the end of one pregnancy and the conception of the next pregnancy. This time period is a great opportunity for parents to address chronic disease and make healthy lifestyle choices. The Alabama Medicaid Agency will be targeting eligible recipients who have had previous poor birth outcomes. This includes women who have experienced:

• The delivery of a low birth weight infant (LBW) - an infant weighing less than 2500 grams.
• The delivery of a very low birth weight infant (VLBW) - an infant weighing less than 1500 grams.
• The delivery of a stillborn infant (20 weeks or greater gestation) - an infant born with no signs of life at delivery.
• An infant death - the death of an infant before the child's first birthday.
• The delivery of a preterm infant - an infant born at less than 37 weeks gestation.

The goal of interconception care is to improve the health of the mom by managing current health conditions which could improve birth outcomes of future pregnancies. In Alabama, the focus is to increase the post-partum follow-up visit rate from 85 percent to 87 percent. Alabama will work toward this goal by providing Case Management follow-up services for the 25 percent of women who stay on Medicaid after 60 days postpartum and have had an adverse pregnancy outcome so that they can become established with a primary provider to manage their healthcare needs.

Resources

• Alabama Department of Public Health: Family Planning Program
• Alabama Perinatal Excellence Collaborative (Alabama Medicaid Agency)
• March of Dimes: Less Than 39 Weeks Toolkit
• CDC Planning for Pregnancy