News Releases
Capital BlueCross and WellSpan Health today announced a collaboration that gives pregnant women access to a convenient remote-monitoring application for prenatal care, which can improve outcomes for mothers and babies.
The organizations are offering expectant mothers, who are WellSpan patients and Capital BlueCross members, access to Babyscripts™, a mobile app that allows them to have access to crucial prenatal health information throughout pregnancy through weekly tasks, resources and tracking.
The program allows expectant mothers to share health data, such as weight and blood pressure, with doctors and advanced practice providers in real time through internet-connected devices provided to the patient.
Using this service, WellSpan providers can quickly and remotely identify warning signs, such as critical changes in blood pressure, that indicate the mother and the baby may require immediate medical assistance. The mobile app also provides valuable health tips and other services to assist expectant mothers.
The collaboration between WellSpan and Capital BlueCross brings together the payer and the provider by making data that is typically available to a provider also available to the payer–enabling better clinical collaboration of the patient’s care needs.
“This is a terrific way to help WellSpan Health providers use technology to help expectant mothers better connect with their doctors and take care of themselves during pregnancy,” said Dr. Jennifer Chambers, senior vice president and chief medical officer for Capital BlueCross. “When we work together in this way, it means not only better care at this time, but also a better outcome for overall health and a better value for our members’ healthcare dollar.”
A new report from the BlueCross BlueShield Association found a greater number of women are entering pregnancy with pre-existing conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. The report noted the number of women experiencing both pregnancy and childbirth complications increased by 31.5% from 2014 to 2018.
The collaboration between WellSpan and Capital BlueCross targets one of the key issues of this trend – barriers to care. By providing a remote app to patients, the organizations can improve access to much-needed prenatal care.
“We know from the data that delays in getting care for underlying health conditions can cause problems with the pregnancy–both for mom and baby,” said Michael Seim, M.D., senior vice president and chief quality officer for WellSpan Health. “Our work with Capital BlueCross is aimed at identifying those conditions and developing a care plan early, so that we can have best possible outcome for these expectant mothers.”
This work between Capital BlueCross and WellSpan Health is one of many initiatives the organizations have been developing as part of the strategic partnership they announced a year ago. The mutual goal is to improve health and reduce costs for central Pennsylvania employers and healthcare consumers.
About Capital BlueCross
For more than 80 years, Capital BlueCross has served Central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley by offering health insurance products, services and technology solutions that provide peace of mind to consumers and promote health and wellness for our members. The company delivers innovative solutions through a family of diversified businesses to create healthier lives and lower healthcare costs. Among these solutions are patient-focused care models, leading-edge data analytics and digital health technologies. Additionally, Capital Blue health and wellness centers provide in-person service and inspiration to help people reach their health goals. Capital BlueCross is an independent licensee of the BlueCross BlueShield Association.
About WellSpan
WellSpan Health is an integrated health system that serves the communities of central Pennsylvania and northern Maryland. The organization includes a clinically integrated network of approximately 2,600 physicians and advanced practice providers (APPs), including more than 1,600 employed physicians and APPs; a regional behavioral health organization; a home care organization; eight respected hospitals; approximately 20,000 employees; and more than 200 patient care locations. WellSpan is a charitable, mission-driven organization, committed to exceptional care for all, lifelong wellness and healthy communities.
For further information contact: Michael Race, Capital BlueCross, 717.541.7692 and Brett Marcy, WellSpan Health, 717.903.0225.