Getting started
It is important to determine whether offering health care services via telehealth will be valuable to pregnant people in your community.
On this page:
- Is a telehealth program right for your community?
- What telehealth services should you offer?
- What staffing support should you consider?
- Billing for telehealth for maternal care
- Marketing your maternal telehealth services
- What are your technology needs?
- What are key considerations for remote patient monitoring?
- Evaluating your telehealth program
Is a telehealth program right for your community?
It is important to determine if telehealth is right for your community. A few things to consider when launching a telehealth program:
- Do you live in a rural area without easily accessible maternity services?
- Do you treat a population that is high risk?
- What percentage of your community is connected to the Internet?
- Do you have an underserved population in your community that needs a higher level of maternal care services?
- What is the maternal mortality rate of your community?
- How frequently do patients in your community delay their antenatal care?
What telehealth services should you offer?
There are many services you can provide to promote a safe, healthy pregnancy and attentive postpartum care. Maternal telehealth services may include:
- New patient and routine appointments
- Send electronic transmission of digital imaging to a practitioner or specialist for evaluation
- Test results sent through an app or via video chat
- Specialist and sub-specialist visits
- Remote monitoring
- Mental health services for postpartum depression and anxiety
- Prescription management
- Lactation support
What staffing support should you consider?
Babies — and pregnancy concerns — occur 24 hours a day, on weekdays, weekends, and holidays. Your telehealth practice could be the first line of defense for a patient who lives a long distance from their nearest hospital.
Here is a list of potential staff positions to consider for your maternal telehealth care program:
- Registered nurse
- Nurse practitioner
- Physician assistant
- Lactation consultant
- Licensed social worker
- Additional office staff to handle telehealth bookings and tech support
Billing for telehealth for maternal care
It is important to understand the policies and reimbursement for telehealth services:
- Medicaid. Each state has its own billing and reimbursement policies. For tips on Medicaid policies, visit Medicaid and Medicare overview.
- Private insurance. Check with the patient's insurance company for information on their billing and reimbursement policies. For tips on private insurance policies, look up policy by jurisdiction.
Marketing your maternal telehealth services
Once you are ready to launch your program, you will want to decide how you will advertise your telehealth services and how you will handle the technical needs of the service.
Consider how information travels in your community. Advertise your telehealth services in a way that will reach the most people. This could include:
- Printed signage near your office
- Brochures and handouts in multiple languages for your waiting room and local community groups
- Brochures in local pediatrician offices
- An email or phone call to your current patients
- Social media posts
- An ad in your local newspaper or local mother and child magazines
- Letters or postcards mailed to the community
- A booth or stand at community events such as health fairs, baby expos, or town celebrations
What are your technology needs?
You will also need to consider the technical needs of your office and your patients. Is your staff tech savvy? Do you have the right equipment to handle ongoing video calls? Your needs may include:
- Reliable, high speed Internet or cellular connectivity
- Computers or tablets that can handle high definition video calls without interruption
- Training for providers and staff in telehealth procedures, policies, and privacy
- Technology training resources for mothers that are new to telehealth
What are key considerations for remote patient monitoring?
One benefit of telehealth for maternal care is the ability to remotely monitor your patients and reduce in-person appointments. This includes a method of obtaining information from the patients and communicating it to you.
Common prenatal monitoring equipment includes:
- Blood pressure monitor
- Portable fetal heart rate monitor
- Pulse oximeter
- Blood glucose testing equipment
- Weight scale
Evaluating your telehealth program
Before you see your first telehealth patient, you will want to set up tracking for your program.
First, identify your program goals. These will depend on your practice and services to be provided. Examples include:
- Sufficient number of maternal telehealth patients to sustain business costs.
- Increased maternal health care access for vulnerable patients.
- New patients that joined your practice to receive care using telehealth.
- Additional services provided through telehealth such as screening for postpartum depression or lactation help.
Your goals will help you define your program’s key performance indicators (KPIs). KPIs measure the effectiveness and success of a business plan.
Whether your program takes off or starts slowly, getting feedback is important. Ask your patients questions such as:
- What do you like about your maternal telehealth appointments?
- What do you dislike about the telehealth appointments?
- What would you change?
- What would make telehealth easier or more comfortable for you?
- What other services would you like to see offered via telehealth?
- Do you feel like your concerns were heard and addressed in your telehealth appointment?
- Would you schedule another telehealth appointment?
More information
Billing for telehealth — Health Resources and Services Administration
Billing for Providers- What Should I Know? — Health Resources and Services Administration
Telehealth policy — Health Resources and Services Administration
Medicaid & CHIP Telehealth Toolkit — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Maternal Telehealth Access Program — Maternal Health Learning and Innovation Center
Telehealth Campaign — National Rural Health Resource Center
Evaluation Measures for Rural Telehealth Programs — Rural Health Information Hub
Marketing Considerations for Telehealth Programs — Rural Health Information Hub
Spotlight
Medical University of South Carolina Reproductive Behavioral Health
The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Reproductive Behavioral Health program provides mental health and substance abuse services to underserved and remote communities across South Carolina.
The program focuses on medication-assisted-treatment delivered in person and via telehealth. To develop the program, MUSC mapped out physical locations of current providers to find geographic gaps where telehealth could be helpful. Services include:
- Preventative therapy for women at high risk for postpartum depression;
- Counseling on the safety of medications during pregnancy and lactation; and
- Therapy and medication treatment options for mental health and substance use disorders.
Learn more about MUSC's Reproductive Behavioral Health program.