U.S. Health and Human Services Department Secretary’s Postparum Maternal Health Collaborative Convening, Part 2

Milbank Memorial Fund Proceedings

EVENT DATE: JANUARY 10, 2025

Executive Summary

In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Milbank Memorial Fund convened the second of two virtual meetings in support of the multi-state Secretary’s Postpartum Maternal Health Collaborative. The first session, held in April 2024, synthesized evidence and opportunities for postpartum mortality reduction for participant state consideration. (See proceedings.) The meeting offered key insights from external subject matter experts such as academics, payers, health care providers, and representatives from other states. The second and final session gave states in the collaborative an opportunity to report on their efforts to reduce postpartum morbidity and mortality through rapid Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles over 10 months. Throughout the collaborative, states had opportunities for discussion with each other as they incorporated insights from the subject matter experts and federal agency partners.

State work in the collaborative was guided by a driver diagram developed by HHS with input from all engaged in the process. This framework identifies key contributors to postpartum morbidity and mortality (see Figure 1). Each state used its own data to identify causes of postpartum morbidity and mortality that guided state-level project aims and changes made with providers. Federal technical assistance provided quality improvement, clinical, and policy experts from across HHS. Iowa, New Mexico, and Minnesota pursued projects to address mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) during pregnancy and in the postpartum period. Maryland, Massachusetts, and Michigan focused on addressing cardiovascular conditions. States met as a collaborative monthly to provide peer support and share findings and HHS met with individual states, sometimes several times per week, to keep project momentum.