A Comparison of Delivery Modalities for Pregnancy Clinical Care Management: Telephonic Versus Video

Given the high prevalence of maternal morbidity and mortality, it is imperative that maternal health interventions are comprehensively evaluated, so they can be scaled with fidelity. Community-based care management models focused on perinatal health care are a priority for health care systems and payers. Alternative care management delivery modalities, such as video visits, are needed to expand program reach amidst growing system-level challenges. This evaluation explores the feasibility, acceptability, and impact of video versus telephonic care in perinatal care management.

Using a mixed methods approach, we implemented a quality improvement project to learn about the integration and impact of video-enabled care into the UPMC Health Plan "Pregnancy Clinical Support" (PCS) care management delivery model. Focus groups were conducted with PCS care managers (CMs) to explore their perspectives on video-visit integration. Video-only members were propensity scores matched to telephonic-only members; statistical comparisons were conducted to assess between-group differences in engagement.

PCS CMs discussed ways to structure effective video-visit onboarding, strengths, and drawbacks of video-enabled care, workflow integration challenges, and best practices for introducing video visits to members. Video-only members had significantly (P < 0.0001) more clinical sessions (2.56 ± 1.57 vs 2.05 ± 1.52) and longer case duration measured in calendar days (209 ± 80 vs 169 ± 94) during the 17-month project period than telephonic-only members.

Evidence generated provides direct guidance on successfully integrating video visits into workflows of community-based CMs while improving engagement in care across diverse member populations.