NORC Chosen to Support Federal Efforts to Improve Maternal Health & Reduce Disparities in Health Access & Treatment among Women Enrolled in Medicaid
The 10-year contract aims to improve outcomes and experiences for mothers and their newborns while reducing program expenditures.
CHICAGO, October 22, 2024 — NORC at the University of Chicago has been awarded the CMS Innovation Center (CMMI) Transforming Maternal Health (TMaH) Model Implementation and Monitoring contract. This 10-year, $56 million project will support CMMI with improving maternal health care for people enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
“We are excited to have the opportunity to support CMS in this important work to improve maternal health outcomes for Medicaid and CHIP enrollees,” said Michelle Strollo, senior vice president of NORC’s Health Care Programs department. “Medicaid pays for more births in this country than any other payer, yet disparities in maternal health and poor health outcomes persist for women enrolled in Medicaid. We look forward to supporting CMS on the implementation and monitoring of the TMaH model that could lead to substantial changes in how maternal health care is provided and ultimately improve outcomes.”
"Medicaid pays for more births in this country than any other payer, yet disparities in maternal health and poor health outcomes persist for women enrolled in Medicaid."
The TMaH model aims to reduce disparities in maternal health access and treatment. It will test whether a range of targeted technical assistance, coupled with payment and delivery system reforms, can drive a whole-person care delivery approach to pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care. These supports and reforms can reduce rates of low-risk cesarean section, severe maternal morbidity, and low birth weight infants, and improve beneficiary experience of care for birthing parents and their infants.
NORC’s implementation and monitoring work will focus on implementing value-based payments (VBP) for services and monitoring awardees’ progress in meeting project milestones to ensure their success. The contract adds to NORC’s expertise in Medicaid VBPs, maternal and child health, and state-level technical assistance.
About NORC at the University of Chicago
NORC at the University of Chicago conducts research and analysis that decision-makers trust. As a nonpartisan research organization and a pioneer in measuring and understanding the world, we have studied almost every aspect of the human experience and every major news event for more than eight decades. Today, we partner with government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world to provide the objectivity and expertise necessary to inform the critical decisions facing society.
Contact: For more information, please contact Eric Young at NORC at young-eric@norc.org or (703) 217-6814 (cell).
