Perinatal market penetration rate. A tool to evaluate regional perinatal programs

Area of Science:

• Perinatal care
• Healthcare market analysis
• Neonatal outcomes

Background:

• Very small babies (1001-1500 gm) born in tertiary centers have better outcomes than those transferred after birth.
• Evaluating healthcare access and utilization is crucial for improving neonatal outcomes.
• Regional perinatal care networks aim to optimize resource allocation for high-risk pregnancies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the concept of
• market penetration
• for high-risk fetuses (1001-1500 gm) within a defined regional cohort.
• To assess the performance of individual perinatal centers in attracting and delivering these high-risk infants.
• To analyze trends and disparities in market penetration among Illinois perinatal centers.

Main Methods:

• Defined a regional cohort of fetuses weighing 1001-1500 gm as the target market.
• Calculated annual "market penetration" rates for an Illinois tertiary center (1973-1983).
• Computed penetration rates for nine Illinois perinatal centers to compare their regional market capture.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated significant increases in market penetration for one Illinois center over an 11-year period.
• Revealed wide discrepancies in market penetration rates among the nine studied Illinois perinatal centers.
• Indicated that market penetration effectively measures a center's success in serving its high-risk regional population.

Conclusions:

• A center's market penetration rate is a key metric for evaluating its role and obligation to its region.
• Disparities in penetration rates highlight unequal access to specialized perinatal care.
• Optimizing market penetration is essential for ensuring high-risk infants receive timely tertiary care, improving overall neonatal outcomes.