Maternity Disease Management: Assessments, Guidelines and Monitoring To Meet Positive Expectations, an October 5, 2005 audio conference on CD-ROM, examines case studies of maternity management programs, including pre- and post-natal assessments, care guidelines, monitoring techniques and outcomes.

Click here to listen to some pre-conference comments from our audio conference presenters.

The value of maternity disease management programs can have a significant impact on containing healthcare costs and improving outcomes by reducing the number of pre-term deliveries. According to recent statistics from the March of Dimes, one in every eight babies born in the United States is born prematurely and in their first year of life, premature babies cost employers nearly 15 times more than full-term babies, with an average cost of $41,610 vs. $2,830.

In addition, about 10 percent of new mothers experience postpartum depression, according to The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The associated feelings, such as sadness, anxiety and restlessness, can be so strong that they interfere with daily tasks. Postpartum depression can occur at any time within about the first six months after giving birth. If left untreated, it can last up to a year or longer.

During this 90-minute audio conference on CD-ROM, your expert panel of speakers, Christy L. Beaudin, PHD, LCSW, CPHQ, corporate director of quality improvement at PacifiCare Behavioral Health, Joseph Stankaitis, MD, MPH, chief medical officer at Monroe Plan for Medical Care and Thomas M. Smith, RN, MA, director, medical care management at Health Management Corporation provide case studies of their maternity management programs.

You will get details on:

• How to identify members at risk for high-risk pregnancies;
• How to reduce pre-term births;
• How to conduct evaluations to identify mothers suffering from post-partum depression;
• Outreach programs that work;
• Incentivizing participation in the maternity management program;
• Program results; and
• Partnering with OB-GYNs.

You can "attend" this program right in your office and enjoy significant savings – no travel time or hassle; no hotel expenses. It’s so convenient! Invite your staff members to listen in.

Listen to some pre-conference comments from our expert presenters:
Dr. Joseph Stankaitis, a chief medical officer at Monroe Plan for Medical Care, explains how incentives improved physicians' completion of his organization's prenatal registration form, and how Monroe improved coordination between its perinatal staff and behavioral health staff to address mental health or chemical dependency issues in the targeted population:		Overcoming barriers to outreach is a crucial component of Health Management Corporation's telephonic Baby Benefits program says,Tom Smith, the organization's director of medical care management:		And Christy L. Beaudin, PHD, LCSW, CPHQ, corporate director of quality improvement at PacifiCare Behavioral Health, describes the crucial differences between the "baby blues" and postpartum depression.

WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS AUDIO CONFERENCE?

CEOs, medical directors, disease management directors, managers and coordinators, health plan executives, care management nurses, business development and strategic planning directors.

Here's what participants said about the live program:

"This audio conference helped me to learn about new ideas in engagement and the use of incentives," according to Jeanna Kendrick, RN, IEHP

"The most important thing that I learned from this conference were the specific strategies for impacting the high-risk pregnancy population," according to Candace Nagata, RN, MSN, Florida Hospital Health Care Systems

"This conference gave good information and both of the speakers were well informed," according to Peggy Waters, RNC, HROB,MCH, m.g.r MCH, Network Health

"The conference gave very practical and applicable information towards any type of care management," according to Lynne Bergey, RN, BSN, Medical Management, Florida Hospital Health Care Systems

"We heard many ideas that will help improve our program. It is good to hear other successes and use that to make new goals to improve on our program, which we think is great already," according to a registered nurse with Intermountain Health Care.

"It was very helpful to learn what has and has not worked for other plans," according to a behavioral health coordinator with a Wisconsin-based health plan.

ABOUT OUR PANELISTS:

Christy Beaudin, Phd LCSW CPHQ FNAHQ

Christy L. Beaudin, PhD LCSW CPHQ FNAHQ is the corporate director, quality Improvement at PacifiCare Behavioral Health in Van Nuys, CA. She has served at the vice president-level with other behavioral healthcare organizations, and has worked extensively as a consultant, health services researcher, and psychiatric program administrator. Dr. Beaudin has supported managed behavioral healthcare organizations, health plans and hospitals in preparing for and maintaining state licensure and NCQA, URAC and JCAHO accreditation.

She is widely published and serves as a national subject matter expert on behavioral health and managed care. Recently, Dr. Beaudin participated in NCQA task forces and technical subgroups for preventive health and behavioral health HEDIS measures and serves as a member of the URAC Health Standards Committee.

Dr. Beaudin earned her doctorate in health services from the UCLA School of Public Health and Masters of Social Work from San Diego State University.

Thomas M. Smith, R.N., M.A., C.P.H.Q.

Thomas Smith, R.N., M.A., C.P.H.Q., is the director, maternity programs at Health Management Corporation. Smith directs the overall operations of HMC’s Baby Benefits® maternity management program and its preconception and parenting components. He also helps develop, evaluate and update program materials, educates and develops HMC’s clinical team, and maintains HMC’s clinical knowledge base to control program quality and efficiency.

Smith’s career includes extensive clinical nursing experience encompassing specialties such as adult and pediatric intensive care, maternal/child, cardio-thoracic surgical, education, teaching, consulting and management. Prior to joining HMC, he was the senior director, operations and education for the American Health Quality Association. He also oversaw the utilization management and pre-authorization contract for Virginia Medicaid. His other career milestones include service as assistant director of critical care for HCA Henrico Doctors’ Hospital and director of critical care services for Richmond Memorial Hospital. Smith also held progressive management positions with West Virginia University Hospitals and served as adjunct faculty at West Virginia University, Fairmont State College, and California (Penn.) State.

Smith earned a BSN in Nursing/Biology from West Virginia Wesleyan College and an MA in Education/Administration from West Virginia University. He was also awarded an Executive Fellowship in Patient Safety from Virginia Commonwealth University, Department of Healthcare Administration. Noted in Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare and Who’s Who in American Nursing, Smith holds professional membership in Sigma Theta Tau and Omicron Delta Kappa.

Joseph Stankaitis, MD, MPH

Joseph Stankaitis, MD, MPH, has been chief medical officer of the Monroe Plan for Medical Care, a Medicaid managed care organization in Rochester, New York, with 88,000 enrollees since 1997.

Dr. Stankaitis is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Physician Executives. He is an active reviewer and faculty member for the National Committee for Quality Assurance, former Chair of its Reconsideration Committee and a current member of the Review Oversight Committee.

Prior to joining Monroe Plan, Dr. Stankaitis was vice president for HealthChex and medical director for Equifax Medical Credentials Verification Services. He has served as head of Community Medicine at the Genesee Hospital in Rochester. Dr. Stankaitis was Physician-in-Charge at Health Care Plan, a staff model health plan in Buffalo, New York, Associate Editor of HMO Practice, and Physician Advisor to The HMO Group. He was medical director of Blue Choice, in Rochester, New York, and also the Medical Director of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Xerox HealthLink Management System.

Dr. Stankaitis received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Boston College and is a graduate of the University Of Connecticut School Of Medicine. He completed his residency and chief residency in the Primary Care Program in Internal Medicine at the University of Rochester. Dr. Stankaitis was a Kellogg Foundation Fellow at Harvard University, where he received a Master’s degree in Health Policy and Management.