title: Cost/health effectiveness of home uterine activity monitoring in a Medicaid population.
abstract: It has been shown that an intensive system of preterm birth prevention using home uterine activity monitoring can decrease the number of early births. Such a system was employed in 130 public assistance (Medicaid) patients who were at high risk for preterm birth. A retrospective review of the pregnancy outcome in these subjects was conducted and their data exposed to a model for projected patient care cost. The incidence of preterm labor in the at-risk group was 46%, with an average prolongation of pregnancy of 4.9 weeks. The occurrence of preterm delivery for failed tocolysis or advanced cervical dilatation was less than 10%. Based on a cost-analysis model that considered newborn charges and monitoring expenses, nearly [corrected] $3 million (an average of $21,813 [corrected] per patient) was saved using this system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Morrison
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Pittman
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: B N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: McLaughlin
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000191:economics; D008484:Medicaid / Q000191:economics*; D008824:Michigan; D008922:Mississippi; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000191:economics*; D007752:Obstetric Labor, Premature / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States; D014590:Uterine Contraction / Q000502:physiology*