Executive Order and New Actions to Advance Women’s Health Research and Innovation

March 29, 2024 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health Policy Team in POLICY

On March 18, the Biden Administration signed a new Executive Order outlining directives to ensure women’s health is integrated into the federal research portfolio and budget. More than 20 new actions and commitments by federal agencies to advance women's health research were included in this announcement. This follows the First Lady Dr. Jill Biden’s recent announcement of $100 million in women’s health funding through Sprint for Women’s Health, which “intends to fundamentally change the trajectory of women’s health care research and radically accelerate the next generation of discoveries”.

New Pilot: Embedding Community Health Workers into Ob/Gyn Clinics

March 18, 2024 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health in POLICY

The Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health (the “Policy Center”) is announcing the launch of a new pilot project titled, “Improving Maternal Mental Health by Embedding Community Health Workers (CHWs) in Obstetric Settings.”

Policy Center Urges NCQA to Require Mandatory HEDIS Reporting for Postpartum Depression

March 14, 2024 by Joy Burkhard, MBA in POLICY

On March 13, the Policy Center team submitted the following letter to the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). The letter was submitted in response to the HEDIS public comment period.

HHS Announces Final Phase Winners in Challenge to Enhance Racial Equity in Postpartum Care

March 13, 2024 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health Policy Team in POLICY

In an announcement released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded winners in the final phase of the $1.8 million HHS Racial Equity in Postpartum Care Challenge. This nationwide endeavor, spearheaded by the HHS Office on Women’s Health (OWH) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), aims to advance equity in postpartum care for Black or African American and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) women enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

2023 State Maternal Mental Health Legislation Report

March 08, 2024 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health in Reports

There was a significant increase in the number of states that passed maternal mental health legislation and awareness resolutions in 2023. In 2023, 14 States and DC passed maternal mental health legislation (the most states in any single legislative session), including AR, CA, CT, DC, DE, IL, KY, LA, MA, NV, NY, SC, TX, HI, WA.

New Bill Introduced to Support Military Maternal Mental Health

March 06, 2024 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health Policy Team in POLICY

On January 25th 2024, Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) and Don Bacon (R-NE) introduced the bipartisan, bicameral ‘‘Maintaining our Obligation to Moms who Serve Act’’ or the ‘‘MOMS Act” (H.R.7087). A companion bill in the Senate was introduced by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE)(S.3641).

HHS Launches Postpartum Maternal Health Collaborative

March 01, 2024 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health Policy Team in POLICY

On Wednesday, February 14, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) unveiled the Secretary's Postpartum Maternal Health Collaborative. This groundbreaking initiative, announced by Secretary Xavier Becerra, aims to address the critical issue of postpartum mortality by fostering collaboration among state leaders, community partners, and federal experts.

A Comprehensive Look at State Maternal Mental Health Screening and Reimbursement Legislation

February 23, 2024 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health in Reports

This report summarizes state legislative mandates addressing maternal mental health (MMH) screening and reimbursement for screening. Ten states have passed legislation addressing maternal mental health screening (AR, CA, FL, IL, LA, NJ, NV, OK, and WV), and three states (AR, NV, and WA) passed legislation regarding Medicaid coverage/reimbursement for screening.

Celebrating Black Advocates for Maternal Mental Health

February 16, 2024 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health in ANNOUNCEMENTS

Throughout history, Black women have been at the forefront of social change, advocating for their rights, their families, and their communities. In the realm of maternal mental health, their contributions are immeasurable. This month, we want to shine a spotlight on their resilience, strength, and the vital role they play in supporting maternal mental health.

CMS Announces New Options for States in Extending Postpartum Medicaid

February 15, 2024 by Joy Burkhard, MBA in ANNOUNCEMENTS

In January 2024, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare (CMS) released new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) titled “Improving Maternal Health and Extending Postpartum Coverage in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP),” providing new options for states in extending postpartum Medicaid coverage.

My Testimony in Favor of Tracking How Often Prenatal Depression Screening Occurs

February 09, 2024 by Joy Burkhard, MBA in ANNOUNCEMENTS

On Tuesday, February 6, I provided the following testimony in support of state Medicaid agencies measuring how often screening and follow-up are occurring for depression in pregnancy. This was through the CMS Medicaid Core Set working group, which evaluates measures for consideration as mandatory for state Medicaid agencies to report.

Comment Letter to the Maternal Mental Health Task Force

February 09, 2024 by Joy Burkhard, MBA in POLICY

On February 8, the Policy Center team submitted the following letter to the Maternal Mental Health Task Force in response to the Task Force’s “Solicitation for Public Comments on Questions from the Task Force on Maternal Mental Health,” which over 50 national and regional organizations signed on to.

Comment Letter on Expanding Access to Paid Parental Leave

February 01, 2024 by Joy Burkhard, MBA in POLICY

In this letter to the Paid Parental Leave Congressional Working Group, we, along with other national mental health organizations, urge the working group to develop legislation that supports mothers during pregnancy and postpartum period allowing for time off during pregnancy as needed to attend medical appointments and a minimum of 8 weeks of paid leave in the postpartum period to heal and care for their infants.

HRSA Launches New ‘Enhancing Maternal Health Initiative’

January 26, 2024 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health Policy Team in POLICY

On Jan 25, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Administrator Carole Johnson, joined by Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (D-IL), co-chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus, launched a year-long Enhancing Maternal Health Initiative.

CMS Announces Behavioral Health Innovation Center Model

January 19, 2024 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health Policy Team in POLICY

On January 18, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), announced a new model to test approaches for addressing behavioral and physical health in a bi-directional way: The Innovation in Behavioral Health (IBH) Model which will be piloted in 8 states.

CMS Finalizes Rule to Expand Access to Health Information and Improve the Prior Authorization Process

January 17, 2024 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health Policy Team in POLICY

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on January 17, as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing commitment to increasing health data exchange and strengthening access to care, (CMS) finalized the Interoperability and Prior Authorization Final Rule (CMS-0057-F). The rule sets requirements for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) fee-for-service (FFS) programs, Medicaid managed care plans among other CMS regulated plans.

Menu of Maternal Mental Health Prevention and Treatment Options

January 05, 2024 by Joy Burkhard, MBA in Access to Treatment

The Policy Center refreshed our Menu of Prevention and Treatment Options for Maternal Mental Health to reflect the latest evidence-based interventions and treatments This comprehensive resource is designed for use by obstetricians, midwives, and family practice providers who provide maternity care, however, can be referred by patients and other treating providers as well.

CMS Announces Transforming Maternal Health (TMaH) Care Framework

December 21, 2023 by Joy Burkhard, MBA in POLICY

In December, the federal Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) announced a new framework for supporting improved maternal healthcare delivery for Medicaid enrollees referred to as the Transforming Maternal Health (TMaH) Model.

Zurzuvae, the New Postpartum Depression Drug Now Available in the U.S. - This is How Insurers Have Responded

December 15, 2023 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health in Reports

Zurzuvae™, the new first-of-its-kind 14-day postpartum depression pill, became available in the U.S. yesterday. Zurzuvae is a pill that is taken for 14 days and has been shown to provide rapid improvements in depressive symptoms by day 15, and as early as day 3, according to the drug’s developer, Sage Therapeutics. This is a substantive improvement over the 4-6 weeks to potentially see improvement with standard depression drug treatments.[1]

My Reflections: The CBS Sunday Morning Interview

December 11, 2023 by Joy Burkhard, MBA in ANNOUNCEMENTS

What the Segment About Postpartum Depression Missed

It was an honor to share why U.S. women aren’t being diagnosed and treated routinely for postpartum depression on CBS Sunday Morning - the most-watched weekend television show; I am incredibly grateful for the national coverage.