CMS issues Strong Start prenatal care model results

Mothers and infants enrolled in the Strong Start birth centers model had $2,010 lower costs on average, 25 percent lower preterm birth rates and better birth outcomes than other comparable women enrolled in Medicaid, according to a new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services bulletin on the final evaluation of the Strong Start for Mothers and Newborns initiative. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation initiative tested psychosocial approaches to reducing preterm birth, improving pregnancy outcomes and reducing costs to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program during pregnancy and the year after birth. For more on the 2013-2017 results, see the final evaluation report.