The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Dec. 15, 2023, announced the Transforming Maternal Health (TMaH) Model. TMaH will support participating state Medicaid agencies (SMAs) in developing a whole-person approach to pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care for patients with Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program coverage.
The model has a three-year pre-implementation period, during which states receive targeted technical assistance to advance each model element and achieve required pre-implementation milestones, and a seven-year implementation period for execution.
TMaH’s initiatives will center on three main pillars:
- Access to care, infrastructure, and workforce capacity: TMaH will support relationship building and education to help participating states mitigate barriers that limit access to valuable resources, such as midwives, doulas, and perinatal community health workers.
- Quality improvement and safety: Participating SMAs will implement quality initiatives and protocols with a goal of making childbirth safer and improving both the mother and baby’s overall experience.
- Whole-person care delivery: Individuals will be screened during their initial prenatal visit to determine what, if any, additional supports they may need for health-related social needs, mental health, or substance use disorder.
Health systems, hospitals, birth centers, health centers, maternity care providers, maternal quality advocacy organizations, and community-based organizations are invited to coordinate with SMAs to participate.
TMaH applications will open in spring 2024. Each participating state Medicaid agency will be eligible for up to $17 million during the model’s 10-year period. CMS will issue awards for up to 15 states.
Contact Director of Policy Rob Nelb, MPH, at rnelb@essentialhospitals.org or 202.585.0127 with questions.
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