The Relationship Between Provider and Patient Racial Concordance and Receipt of Postpartum Care

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Maternal Health
• Health Equity

Background:

• Postpartum care (PPC) access is inconsistent in the US.
• Limited data exists on patient factors influencing PPC receipt.
• Racial disparities in maternal healthcare outcomes persist.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the impact of provider-patient racial concordance on Black patients' receipt of postpartum care.
• To investigate if having a Black main provider influences postpartum visit attendance for Black birthing individuals.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of over 24,000 childbirth hospitalizations in Alabama (2014-2020).
• Analysis of electronic health records to determine postpartum care visits within 12 weeks.
• Generalized estimating equation (GEE) logistic regression used to assess provider-patient racial concordance and PPC receipt.

Main Results:

• Black patients with Black main prenatal or childbirth care providers had significantly higher adjusted odds of receiving PPC (adj. OR 2.26).
• Compared to Black patients with non-Black providers, those with racially concordant providers showed increased likelihood of postpartum follow-up.
• White patients with White providers did not show a statistically significant difference in PPC receipt compared to those with non-White providers.

Conclusions:

• In this Alabama hospital system, Black birthing individuals with a racially concordant main provider may have an increased likelihood of receiving critical postpartum care.
• Findings suggest racial concordance could be a factor in improving access to essential postpartum services for Black mothers.
• Further research is needed, acknowledging the limitations of a low number of Black providers in the sample.