Ochsner Health wins innovator award funds for Connected MOM

Newswise — Ochsner Health has been named among the final winners of the HHS Hypertension Innovator Award Competition for its program Ochsner Connected Maternity Online Monitoring (MOM). The national competition by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office on Women’s Health identifies and rewards innovative programs that ensure women with hypertension during pregnancy and/or postpartum receive appropriate monitoring and follow-up.

Ochsner Connected MOM program is a way to help expecting mothers manage their pregnancy from the comfort of home. Patients are able to digitally send blood pressure readings to their medical team, allowing them to monitor their health between visits.

"We are grateful to be recognized by the HHS Office on Women’s Health with this award for our Connected MOM program," said Dr. Veronica Gillispie Bell, senior site lead for women’s services at Ochsner Health Kenner and director of quality for Women's Services for Ochsner Health. "Telehealth has been a pivotal innovation, allowing us to bring care to patients and remove barriers that many mothers face in accessing necessary healthcare. This award will broaden the reach of this program, ensuring that even more mothers can experience the benefits of comprehensive, compassionate, and convenient care."

The HHS competition evaluated the effectiveness of Ochsner Connected MOM in increasing blood pressure monitoring during pregnancy and the postpartum period, specifically for Black patients and those in the rural population. This program saw a statistically significant increase in blood pressure measurements during pregnancy and the postpartum period among patients, and the Connected MOM platform is in use by more than 100 Ochsner providers in Louisiana and reached a total of over 2,000 patients last year.

“As one of the leading providers of healthcare for pregnant patients in Louisiana, Ochsner has looked for innovative ways to reduce the health crisis and disparities in maternal and perinatal outcomes,” said Dr. Joseph Biggio, system chair for Women’s Services and Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Ochsner. “While we have expanded the Connected MOM program over the last few years, this award will help accelerate the expansion and augmentation of the program so that we can serve more patients and improve care to an even broader population.”

“By recognizing innovative programs addressing hypertension during pregnancy and maternal health disparities across the nation, we reaffirm our commitment to ensuring nationwide maternal health excellence and equity,” said Admiral Rachel Levine, MD, assistant secretary for Health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Community-tailored solutions increasing access and coverage of comprehensive maternal health care are critical in achieving health equity.”

About Ochsner Health

Ochsner Health is the leading nonprofit healthcare provider in the Gulf South, delivering expert care at its 46 hospitals and more than 370 health and urgent care centers. For 12 consecutive years, U.S. News & World Report has recognized Ochsner as the No. 1 hospital in Louisiana. Additionally, Ochsner Children’s has been recognized as the No. 1 hospital for kids in Louisiana for three consecutive years. Ochsner inspires healthier lives and stronger communities through a combination of standard-setting expertise, quality and connection not found anywhere else in the region. In 2023, Ochsner Health cared for more than 1.5 million people from every state in the nation and 65 countries. Ochsner’s workforce includes more than 38,000 dedicated team members and over 4,700 employed and affiliated physicians. To learn more about how Ochsner empowers people to get well and stay well, visit https://www.ochsner.org/.