Rates of maternal morbidity and mortality continue to rise across California. Cesarean deliveries account for one-third of the state’s more than 500,000 births each year. With Medi-Cal paying for nearly half of all births, improving maternity care is essential to improving the health of Californians, enhancing patients’ experiences, and putting Medi-Cal on sound financial footing.

Leading researchers and practitioners in maternity health care met in Sacramento for the state’s first symposium on research pathways to improve outcomes for mothers and babies enrolled in Medi-Cal. The purpose of the meeting was to examine public and private research priorities and to explore ways Medi-Cal data can be leveraged to develop opportunities to improve maternal health care.

Speakers and topics included:

• Paula Braveman, professor of family and community medicine, UCSF, on an annual state survey of maternal and fetal health
• Maureen Corry, senior advisor, Childbirth Connection Programs, National Partnership for Women & Families, on a national vision for delivery system transformation
• Sylvia Guendelman, professor of community health and human development, UC Berkeley School of Public Health, on Latina birth outcomes in the US
• Neal Kohatsu, medical director, DHCS, on potential near-term research using state data
• Julia Logan, quality officer, DHCS, on elective Medicaid deliveries before 39 weeks
• Elliott Main, medical director, California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative, on the California Maternal Data Center
• Richard Pan, chair, California Assembly Committee on Health, on state policy issues and opportunities
• Pat Powers, innovation director, California State Innovation Model, on statewide payment reform
• Linette Scott, chief medical information officer, DHCS, on data requests to DHCS and opportunities to combine data from multiple sources

The Institute for Population Health Improvement (IPHI) at the UC Davis Health System and the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), with funding from the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), hosted this symposium, the first of two.

The speakers’ presentation slides are available on the DHCS site via the External Link below.