Studies have found that unnecessary c-sections may result in harm and poor outcomes for mothers and babies. Recently, health care providers, payers, purchasers, and policymakers have been working together to reduce the unwarranted variation in low-risk, first-birth c-sections in California. These different stakeholders agree that any solution should promote communication between patients and providers and should involve patients in decisions about their care.

The California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative (CMQCC), and Consumer Reports (CR) are teaming up to develop new consumer education tools to help reduce unnecessary c-sections. Learn more about this collaborative effort and how you can help.

Some of the topics addressed through this work include:

• What are the most meaningful and appropriate actions that first-time, low-risk pregnant women can take to avoid having an unnecessary c-section?
• What messages are most likely to motivate these women to take those actions?
• What are the best ways to efficiently deliver these messages to a broad range of first-time, low-risk pregnant women?

Your knowledge, experience, and current role in California’s health care ecosystem make you a valuable stakeholder in this project. The goal of this initial webinar is to share the project development plan with you and other stakeholders as the work begins. Future webinars will share research findings and prototypes for patient education to prevent unnecessary c-sections, and provide opportunities for you to give input and feedback.