Second-time Awardees CyncHealth, PointClickCare, Innsena Granted $80,000 Racial Equity in Postpartum Care Federal Funding

Department of Health and Human Services recognizes innovative program with proven outcomes for improving postpartum care for at-risk mothers in Nebraska for a second time

OMAHA, Neb.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–CyncHealth, the designated health information exchange (HIE) for Nebraska and Iowa; PointClickCare, a leading healthcare technology platform; and Innsena, a health tech consultancy focused on improving care outcomes for underserved communities, won the second phase of a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Racial Equity in Postpartum Care Challenge—including federal funding of $80,000, for their innovative postpartum care program in Nebraska. The award builds on the collaborative work recognized in 2022 during the first phase of the challenge to improve postpartum care for Black, African American, American Indian, and Alaska Native parents with high-risk conditions who participate in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program by significantly reducing maternal morbidity and mortality.

“More than 80% of postpartum deaths are preventable, meaning lack of attentive and coordinated care is central to this devastating statistic,” says Jaime Bland, CEO of CyncHealth. “In the days, weeks and months following childbirth, women are in a critical time as they experience physical, social, and psychological changes. We were determined to develop a program that could address this through already deployed and accessible technology across Medicaid and could also easily expand to the larger healthcare ecosystem.”

Initially implemented at federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) in Omaha, Nebraska, the program expanded in 2023 to provide digital solutions for care coordination at all Nebraska clinics that participate in the state’s HIE and use the PointClickCare platform. Notifications were also turned on across all Nebraska and Iowa hospitals to alert physicians when they have a patient in the ED who is postpartum. This provides physicians with a more holistic and informed understanding of the patient they are treating.

The program has been effective in addressing gaps in women’s pregnancy and postpartum health outcomes typically associated with lack of health services and support. Jaime Bland continues: “In the first year of the program, Nebraska clinicians were able to follow up with 254 women who had emergency visits postpartum for conditions ranging from mental health disorders to hypertension. With real-time notification through this program, providers have actionable patient data that allows follow-up and access to additional services and support.”

“Our goal through this leading-edge program has been to demonstrate that postpartum care must be an ongoing process, with services and supports tailored to each woman’s individual needs. This award recognizes the proven success of this model,” says Britteny Matero, vice president of Market Access for Innsena. “We’ve worked hard to develop and track actionable implementation steps for other states to take so that nationwide mortality and morbidity for women postpartum can be significantly reduced.”

To learn more about the HHS Racial Equity in Postpartum Care Challenge, visit: https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2024/02/14/hhs-announces-final-phase-winners-challenge-address-racial-equity-postpartum-care.html

About CyncHealth

CyncHealth is the designated health information exchange (HIE) for Nebraska and western Iowa, connecting over 5 million lives and 1,135 facilities and counting. These cross-connections are community-wide, consisting of hospitals, specialty hospitals, rural health clinics, specialty clinics, long-term post-acute care facilities, and other entities that have valuable data for monitoring the health of populations. CyncHealth empowers participating clinicians to provide better care for patients by having instant access to comprehensive and longitudinal health history, including patient encounter-level reports, diagnostic history, allergies, immunizations, and laboratory results from participating facilities. For more information, visit cynchealth.org.

About PointClickCare

PointClickCare is a leading healthcare technology platform enabling meaningful collaboration and access to real‐time insights at every stage of the patient healthcare journey. More than 27,000 long‐term and post‐acute care providers, over 3,100 hospitals and health systems, 2,200 ambulatory clinics, every major U.S. health plan, and over 70 state and government agencies use PointClickCare, enabling care collaboration and value‐based care delivery for millions across North America. For more information, visit pointclickcare.com.

About Innsena

Innsena is a health technology consultancy dedicated to improving the nation’s public health infrastructure and advancing care outcomes for underserved communities. Supporting innovators in digital health, public-private and non-profit partnerships, and government agencies, Innsena provides growth consulting, market access, commercialization, strategic communications and public affairs services to create high-impact programs that improve the US healthcare system. For more information, visit: https://www.innsena.com.

Contacts

Desiree Lindsay

Innsena

desireelindsay@innsena.com