Timely prenatal care plays a vital role in the health of the mother and baby by allowing healthcare providers to monitor, identify, and address potential issues such as gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and birth defects. Likewise, postpartum visits are crucial for ensuring the mother’s physical and emotional recovery after childbirth.
Recognizing the clinical importance of these visits, the NCQA’s HEDIS (Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set) program includes a Prenatal and Postpartum Care measure. Our Prenatal and Postpartum Care HEDIS Tip Sheet offers insight into the measure, required documentation, and best practices.
Some important best practices to remember include:
- Schedule the patient’s first prenatal visit as soon as the patient believes they are pregnant.
- Remind the patient of the dates and times of their follow-up appointments.
- Counsel the patient during pregnancy about the importance of follow-up care after delivery.
- Prior to delivery, develop a postpartum plan that identifies the practitioners who will care for the patient and infant.
- Ensure that practice workflow includes scheduling of postpartum appointments before the patient is discharged from the hospital.
- Contact patients who miss appointments to offer telephone or telehealth visits.
For more complete information, refer to the Prenatal and Postpartum Care HEDIS Tip Sheet. For additional HEDIS tip sheets on an array of topics, please refer to the HEDIS tip sheet page on our provider website.
HEDIS® is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).