Closing the Prenatal Care Performance Gap for Low-Income Women
The American Pregnancy Association is the healthcare organization on which this paper will concentrate. The non-profit organization was established in 1995, with its headquarters in Irving, Texas (American Pregnancy Association, n.d.). The organization’s expertise is in pregnancy and women’s health. A medical advisory committee provides clients with accurate and up-to-date information about their reproductive, pregnancy, and sexual needs. The organization’s primary focus is on the four areas listed below in order to improve women’s health. First and foremost, it is responsible for acting as a strong advocate and providing quality health care to women. It works to improve the health of pregnant women and their families by lobbying insurance companies, governments, and businesses (American Pregnancy Association, n.d.).
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Second, the organization works to maintain high clinical practice standards and to provide ongoing education to women and families facing fertility and pregnancy wellness challenges. Third, it seeks to educate patients and ensure that they understand and participate in medical care (American Pregnancy Association, n.d.). The organization offers assistance through an interactive website and a toll-free helpline. Fourth, it focuses on raising public and member awareness of the ever-changing issues affecting women’s healthcare. The organization’s mission is to raise societal awareness of reproductive and pregnancy needs.
Early prenatal care has a positive impact on both the mother and the child. According to numerous studies, mothers who do not receive prenatal care have a higher risk of having underweight babies than those who do. Significant fetal development occurs during the first trimester. Through health assessment and screening, physicians can identify mothers and babies who are at risk of complications. When a woman suspects she is pregnant, she should make an appointment with her healthcare provider to begin her prenatal care. When it comes to dealing with low-income women who want to get prenatal care, the American Pregnancy Association faces performance gap issues. The organization will fill the gap created by suboptimal patient outcomes caused by a lack of action on the part of healthcare providers. The organization must improve the quality of prenatal care available to low-income women.
The performance gap is the difference between the organization’s current state and its desired performance. Healthcare organizations around the world are faced with the challenge of doing more with fewer resources. We tend to improve the performance of low-income women seeking prenatal care without reducing their services as an organization. Low-income women are those who fall behind in terms of insurance coverage, income, and employment (Camargo Jr, 2011). Inequalities in reproductive health are one of the issues that the government is attempting to address in healthcare facilities. With the expansion of Medicaid eligibility, many low-income women have been able to receive early prenatal care, increasing their chances of having healthy babies. Despite the policy’s success, healthcare gaps persist.
The organization will close this gap for the following reasons: First, low-income women seeking prenatal care have limited educational and professional opportunities (Johnson, 2012). Employees may take advantage of such disparities and refuse to provide the necessary assistance. A suboptimal patient outcome should not be tolerated by an organization, and it should do whatever it takes to reduce sexual and reproductive health disparities among low-income women. Second, because the organization’s goal is to promote reproductive and pregnancy wellness, it must ensure that employees are educated and trained on how to use the new technology. Suboptimal patient outcomes may be the result of a lack of educational support and ineffective management. To close the performance gap, the organization must engage in research and educational work, which serves as the foundation for future reproductive discoveries.
Third, for low-income women, a lack of quality prenatal care would result in prematurity and a negative outcome. Prematurity is the leading cause of newborn deaths in the country. The organization must close the gap on suboptimal patient outcomes in order to reduce health risks to both the mother and the baby. According to research, low-income women who did not use Medicaid to receive prenatal care had a 21% higher rate of delivering underweight babies than those who did (Camargo Jr, 2011). Similarly, premature births incur significant costs for healthcare organizations because the facility must treat prematurity-related issues.
References
The American Pregnancy Association (APA) (n.d.). Increasing Pregnancy Wellness http://americanpregnancy.org/ (Accessed 19 August 2016).
K. R. D. Camargo, Jr. (2011). Closing the health equity gap in a generation: Action on the social determinants of health. 102-105 in Global Public Health, 6(1).
Johnson, K. (2012). Results of a peer-to-peer state Medicaid learning project addressing women’s health needs and improving birth outcomes 21, 1-19 (Common Fund Issue Brief).
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