Bridging the maternal care gap: How health tech supports women of color

Healthcare inequities are driving a crisis in maternal care for ethnic minorities, but collaborative efforts that bring new innovations to bear could help to end the disparities.

By WP Creative Group

November 16, 2023

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The U.S. has the worst record in the developed world for maternal mortality, with death rates for expectant mothers doubling since the 1980s.¹ Women of color – including Black, Latina, American Indian/Alaska Native and Pacific Islander women – bear the brunt of this, and the numbers are undeniable.

Women of color are twice as likely to die during the maternal cycle than Caucasian women.¹ Even after controlling for factors like education and income, major disparities remain. A college-educated Black woman, for example, is at 60 percent greater risk of maternal death than a white woman who did not finish high school.² Latina women do not die at rates that are higher than average, but they are at higher risk for severe maternal morbidity.³

These disparities are linked to some unsettling truths about the social determinants of health. Women of color are less likely to have health insurance, according to the National Women’s Law Center. Some ethnic minorities are also more likely to live in OB-GYN deserts, where care may not be available at any price. For instance, more than 25 percent of American Indian babies were born in areas with limited or no maternity care in 2020.⁴ Implicit bias within the healthcare system also contributes to poor maternal outcomes for women of color. Black women are underrepresented in medical research studies⁵, and reports indicate that they are often ignored when speaking about their medical concerns.

Implicit bias within the healthcare system also contributes to poor maternal outcomes for women of color. Black women are underrepresented in medical research studies⁵, and reports indicate that they are often ignored when speaking about their medical concerns.

Much more work is needed to solve these issues, but things are beginning to change. The pandemic exposed deep inequities in U.S. healthcare, as people of color were more likely to be hospitalized or die from COVID-19.⁶ “One of the few positive impacts of the pandemic was that it drew more attention to the needs of patients in underserved communities,” said Philips’ 2023 U.S. Future Health Index report. This sparked an increase in the number of U.S. healthcare leaders having equity initiatives in place, according to the healthcare technology company’s report. That number rose from 6 percent in 2021 to 11 percent as of 2023. Meanwhile, 48 percent of leaders say they are currently developing health equity initiatives within their organizations.

Collaboration is key

Many of these efforts rely on emerging, collaborative care models – which can involve cross-disciplinary approaches and public-private partnerships that include research institutions, healthcare technology providers and state and federal agencies. 48 percent of healthcare leaders see their hospital or facility addressing health equity by partnering with educational institutions, while 44 percent are doing so by collaborating with community groups where care is centered on the patient, according to Philips’ report.

This approach enables sharing of best practices, and access to greater pools of funding. “Let’s be honest, no one alone can solve this,” said Flavia Parisi, Head of Ultrasound at Philips North America. “It’s going to take a village,” said Parisi, speaking at a recent Washington Post Live event that explored solutions to the maternal care gap.

Prioritizing patient care, Philips collaborates with various organizations to improve access. Alongside this, they work closely with customers and partners to consistently enhance patient safety and healthcare quality.

Philips was one of the first companies to endorse the Biden-Harris Maternal Health Blueprint, issued in June 2022. To support the plan’s goal of increasing access to maternal care, the company partnered with Israel-based Nuvo to enable wider deployment of Nuvo’s INVU solution. Invu offers remote monitoring of fetal and maternal heart rates. It incorporates Philips’ Mobile Obstetrics Monitoring (MOM) suite of cloud-based apps that connect patients, caregivers and the health system into one integrated service. It’s currently in use in a pilot program to extend prenatal care in rural Colorado.

In January, Philips partnered with Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services to roll out a customized version of its Pregnancy+ app for Medicaid-eligible families. The app provides users with everything from nutritional information to exercise tips. It can also alert users to red flags that mean it’s time to seek medical care. Additionally, the app can display 3D renderings that track a fetus’ development. Users can customize the image according to the ethnicity of the child. The app is available in 22 languages.

Additionally, Philips has partnered with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop new ultrasound technologies. This includes the development of an artificial intelligence (AI)-based application suite to improve the quality and accessibility of obstetric care in low- and middle-income countries, especially in underserved communities. The application will be deployed on Philips’ handheld ultrasound, Lumify, which is currently in widespread use in community-based mother and child care programs around the world.

Meeting patients where they are

Innovations in medical technology help healthcare providers meet mothers where they are, personalize care and achieve better outcomes. “Innovations such as AI are helping to augment the expertise of healthcare providers and can help with decision-making,” said Parisi. “This is a way we can help to bridge the gap.”

Indeed, rather than imagining a world with universal access to quality maternal healthcare, Philips actively works to build it. The company operates healthcare innovation hubs in Shanghai, Bangalore, Eindhoven and Cambridge, Mass. Researchers at these facilities have designed leading-edge systems that are helping to improve maternal care. These include the Avalon CL cableless fetal monitoring system, which allows patients to move freely and walk around while in labor, instead of being confined to a bed. Philips’ Intellispace Perinatal information management solution tracks medical information across the obstetrical care continuum – from prenatal to postpartum follow-ups. Philips FetView is acloud-based platform that supports remote sharing of ultrasound images to convey fetal growth projections.

  “As a healthcare technology company, we’re focused on developing purposeful technology,” said Kimberly Mingo, VP for Government Sales and Business Strategy at Philips, in an interview. “We really believe that healthcare is a right.”

In addition to exposing the care gap, the pandemic became a proving ground for some of these technologies. Amid nationwide lockdowns and travel restrictions, remote care was put to the test. “The pandemic definitely changed the way we deliver care,” said Parisi. “Telehealth proved to be a very viable alternative.”

Many restrictions concerning telehealth were relaxed during the pandemic. Mingo believes some of those, such as Medicaid/Medicare rules that allow for equal provider reimbursement whether care is delivered remotely or at a facility, should become permanent. “There were a lot of temporary solutions that were passed during covid, but they expire soon,” said Mingo. “We really need to work with state and Congressional lawmakers to ensure that some of that becomes permanent.”

Philips is also calling for standards around interoperability for remote care systems.

A path forward

Philips’ efforts to tackle the maternal care gap do not stop at technology. The organization is committed to building diversity internally, which Mingo said is a vital part of its efforts to improve results for women of color. Mingo is executive director of Philips’ Black Employees Group, and said it’s a great source of collaboration and information sharing about healthcare issues impacting the Black community. “Being an African American female, I know the challenges faced in some communities,” said Mingo. “We bring that information back to the company,” Mingo said. “You really have to be out in communities to really understand the ecosystems that they are part of.”

Ultimately, it comes down to ensuring that all new and expectant mothers get the care they need. “Pregnancy is maybe one of the few medical conditions that deal with happiness; it’s perhaps the happiest moment in a woman’s life,” said Parisi. “For moms-to-be, to enjoy their pregnancy to the fullest, having the necessary care and peace of mind is critical.”

Sources: 1. Centers for Disease Control; 2. Petersen, et al. “Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Pregnancy Related Deaths.” 3. Howell, et al. “Severe Maternal Morbidity Among Hispanic Women in New York City”; 4. March of Dimes; 5. Healthline; 6. KFF