Electronic Medical Record Use and Maternal and Child Care and Health

To evaluate effects of EHR adoption and use during pregnancy on maternal and child health care utilization and health among pregnant mothers and their infants.

The study population was comprised of all Medicaid-insured pregnant women who delivered a singleton birth in Michigan between 1/1/2009 and 12/31/2012 and their infants (N = 226,558). Linked data included birth records, maternal and infant medical claims, and EHR adoption, implementation, upgrading and meaningful use data. Pre-post comparisons with a control group (difference-in-difference) took advantage of a natural experiment of EHR adoption and use among providers in Michigan. Women and infants who received care from providers who adopted and used EHR were compared with those who received care from other providers, in a quasi-experimental framework.

Over 34 % of all women in the analytic sample received perinatal care from providers who adopted and used EHR. Multivariate regressions indicate that women who received prenatal care mainly from a provider who adopted and used EHR were more likely to have any well-child visits (0.05, p = 0.04), and the appropriate number of well-child visits during the first year of life (0.03, p < 0.01).

The findings of this study are consistent with EHR adoption and use supporting improved child health care utilization. The findings have the potential to provide Medicaid and other healthcare program officials with evidence of the potential gains to be derived from EHRs for vulnerable low-income women and infants.