Continuity of Care: A New Framework for Maternal Health

By Ali Weatherford

I work in health care, so I’m used to hearing about “continuity of care” (CoC). But this might not be something that most people think about outside of this field and in normal daily life. And even when it is a concept that someone is confronted with on a regular basis, it can be hard to define and understand. 

What is Continuity of Care? 

Essentially, CoC means that a person receives ongoing and integrated health care. It implies that care providers can seamlessly communicate with each other to better manage your care. It implies that you will continue to see and communicate with the same care provider for a particular condition or issue. CoC might even imply that your insurance carrier will continue to cover health care costs so that you can continue your care in the same practice or with the same provider even if they are no longer in-network. For example, if you’ve been receiving prenatal care at a particular obstetric practice throughout your pregnancy and then they become an out of network provider just before your birth, with CoC, your insurance company would allow you to continue your care there without losing benefits.  

Why Is CoC Important? 

Experiencing CoC can benefit patients and care providers in so many ways. For health care providers, it can mean easier access to their patients’ medical histories and current treatments/conditions. If a patient is being seen by an obstetrician and a maternal fetal medicine specialist concurrently, the providers can share information with each other easily to provide their patient with the highest level of care with the least amount of effort. 

At Breastfeeding Success, our outpatient team works hard to stay in communication with our patients’ pediatric care providers. We want to be sure that your baby’s healthcare provider can see their feeding progress and treatment status while they’re undergoing our care. It’s part of a baby’s complete health picture. It might also be helpful for us to have information related to the birth parent’s health status provided by their obstetrician. If a breastfeeding parent is taking a particular medication, we may be able to offer breastfeeding solutions that will work for them so they can continue to take their medication and breastfeed. 

Does CoC Exist? 

There are pockets in healthcare working to make this a reality. Some people are part of a particular healthcare network that provides all levels of care. You might see a primary care provider in that network, and they might refer you to a specialist and diagnostics in the network when you need it. Their charting systems are integrated, and they might even be the same network that provides your health insurance. They may have software systems designed to make visibility and communication easier for providers who are not part of the same network. In other situations, a primary healthcare provider might just be very good at making sure they have all of your healthcare information and can stay in touch with the other care providers you are seeing. They can help coordinate your care manually. 

CoC at BFS

At Breastfeeding Success, we value continuity of care and work to make it happen in our model of care. We want to provide support for you and your family for as long as we can. That means we have to be there and have the services you need. It starts with our education team. We have prenatal education covering topics from childbirth to baby care, and of course plenty of breastfeeding preparation. We also provide direct care in the hospitals. A patient might see one of our team members right after birth in labor and delivery and then again in postpartum recovery until discharge. they might work with our team in the NICU. That same patient might need extra support after leaving the hospital, and we are there to provide it in a number of ways. We can provide care by telehealth, in one of our many outpatient clinics, and we can even provide in-home care in certain areas.

Breastfeeding Success can be a touchpoint from prenatal education all the way through the first year of a baby’s life and even beyond. Even now in some cases, a patient might take a breastfeeding class and then see their teacher in the hospital and then later in our outpatient clinic or in their home. Having a familiar practice name, phone number, and even a familiar face during these vulnerable times of transition for a family can mean a lot less confusion and so much more comfort.  

References

What is needed for continuity of care and how can we achieve it? – Perceptions among multiprofessionals on the chronic care trajectory – PMC

What is ‘continuity of care’? – PubMed