For some moms, getting ready for a new baby might mean cribs and car seats, baby showers and painting a nursery. Beyond that, it might mean having a lot of family and community support, plus having regular access to a doctor to make sure both mom and baby are healthy. But for some moms-to-be, there are barriers that can make that difficult.
UnitedHealthcare’s Healthy First Steps® (HFS) program provides comprehensive care management to address medical, behavioral and social needs for high-risk moms who may need extra support and services. Our local care team seeks to engage and empower moms by providing education, supporting them in their care plan, removing barriers to prenatal and postpartum care and linking them to resources. For some, this might also mean housing, substance use disorder treatment or outpatient opioid treatment.
Members of the HFS program can also receive incentives for attending their doctor visits throughout pregnancy and their baby’s first 15 months of life by signing up for our mobile-friendly rewards program. Nationwide data collected by all HFS program participants shows that enrollees in the rewards program attend 14% more physician visits and have a 5.7% lower rate of Emergency Department utilization than nonparticipants.
The HFS program is one way that we are able to fulfill on our mission of helping people live healthier lives by supporting healthy pregnancies, deliveries and early childhood and family planning.
