With funding from the Episcopal Health Foundation, the researchers will conduct a secondary data analysis to evaluate the impact of Driscoll Health Plan's Nurture program for pregnant members using claims data.
This record describes a quality improvement program (called "Nurture") piloted by Driscoll Health Plan, which included nutrition education and food purchase support offered to a subset of pregnant women aged 30 years and above and covered by the Medicaid Managed Care Organization (MCO) plan in their "STAR" and "CHIP" programs during October 2022 and July 2023. Factor Health lab at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin will do a secondary data analysis to evaluate the impact of DHP's program. Driscoll Health Plan (DHP) is a non-profit, community-based health insurance plan that provides coverage to South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley communities. Their insurance products include STAR Medicaid, STAR Kids, CHIP, and CHIP Perinatal. With input from Factor Health lab at Dell Medical School, DHP introduced the Nurture program for its members as a quality improvement initiative, designed to expand members' access to nutrition education and food purchase support to improve health and pregnancy outcomes. Nurture included up to 8 packages mailed every four weeks until the member reaches the end of pregnancy. Each package included USD $40 in the form of gift cards to a large-chain grocery store, a healthy eating information sheet selected from Brighter Bites (https://brighterbites.org/), a set of three recipes, and nutrition-related Frequently Asked Questions during pregnancy (in four out of the eight packages). Members also received two 30-minute nutritional consultations over the phone. Members had the flexibility to opt out of the program at any time and discontinue receiving packages. Consultations were optional. If they opted out, they continued to receive the DHP benefits as part of their regular coverage.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
224
1. Nurture Monthly Packages: Sent every four weeks until the member reaches the end of pregnancy (delivery or other reasons, e.g., miscarriage), with a maximum of eight packages. Each package includes: * A US$40 gift card (2 x $20 each) to a grocery store. * A healthy eating information sheet selected from Brighter Bites project (https://brighterbites.org/). * A set of three recipes. * Nutrition-related Frequently Asked Questions (included in four out of the eight packages). 2. Two 30-Minute Nutritional Consultations over the phone: Designed by a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) who trained a bilingual nutrition specialist to deliver the consultations. Topics revolved around healthy eating during pregnancy, such as food choices, portion sizes, budget-friendly shopping, food safety, and food preparation. No nutrition therapy advice to manage diseases was provided.
Includes regular healthcare services offered as part of the health plan coverage with Medicaid/CHIP.
Driscoll Health Plan
Corpus Christi, Texas, United States
Composite outcome 1: Adverse health events during pregnancy
Composite includes health claims (paid or non-paid) with codes related to: * Gestational Diabetes Mellitus * Excessive weight gain during pregnancy * Pregnancy-associated hypertension
Time frame: At pregnancy delivery
Composite outcome 2: Adverse health events at birth and newborn-related
Composite includes health claims (paid or non-paid) with codes related to: * Pre-term birth (\<37 weeks) * Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) * Small for gestational age * Large for gestational age * Stillbirths
Time frame: At pregnancy delivery
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.