Megha Shankar1, Caitlin S Chan2, Susan M Frayne3, Danielle M Panelli4, Ciaran S Phibbs5, Jonathan G Shaw6. 1. VA HSR&D Center for Innovation to Implementation (Ci2i), VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, California; Stanford University Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research (PCOR) and Center for Health Policy (CHP), Stanford, California. 2. Health Economics Research Center and Center for Innovation to Implementation, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, California. 3. VA HSR&D Center for Innovation to Implementation (Ci2i), VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, California; Stanford University Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research (PCOR) and Center for Health Policy (CHP), Stanford, California; Division of Primary Care and Population Health, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California. 4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California. 5. Stanford University Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research (PCOR) and Center for Health Policy (CHP), Stanford, California; Health Economics Research Center and Center for Innovation to Implementation, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, California; Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatal & Developmental Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California. 6. VA HSR&D Center for Innovation to Implementation (Ci2i), VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, California; Stanford University Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research (PCOR) and Center for Health Policy (CHP), Stanford, California; Division of Primary Care and Population Health, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California. Electronic address: jgshaw@stanford.edu.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Pregnancy presents an opportunity to engage veterans in health care. Guidelines recommend primary care follow-up in the year postpartum, but loss to follow-up is common, poorly quantified, and especially important for those with gestational diabetes (GDM) and hypertension. Racial maternal inequities are well-documented and might be exacerbated by differential postpartum care. This study explores variation in postpartum re-engagement in U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs health care system (VA) primary care to identify potential racial/ethnic inequities in this care transition. METHODS: We conducted a complete case analysis of the 2005-2014 national VA birth cohort (n = 18,414), and subcohorts of veterans with GDM (n = 1,253) and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP; n = 2,052) using VA-reimbursed discharge claims and outpatient data. Outcomes included incidence of any VA primary care visit in the postpartum year; in age-adjusted logistic regression, we explored race/ethnicity as a primary predictor. RESULTS: In the year after a VA-covered birth, the proportion of veterans with one or more primary care visit was 53.8% overall, and slightly higher in the GDM (56.0%) and HDP (57.4%) subcohorts. In adjusted models, the odds of VA primary care follow-up were significantly lower for Black/African American (odds ratio, 0.87; 95% confidence interval, 0.81-0.93), Asian (odds ratio, 0.76; 95% confidence interval, 0.61-0.95), and Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander (odds ratio, 0.73; 95% confidence interval, 0.55-0.96) veterans, compared with White veterans. Among the subcohorts with GDM or HDP, there were no significant associations between primary care and race/ethnicity. CONCLUSIONS: One-half of veterans re-engage in VA primary care after childbirth, with significant racial differences in this care transition. Re-engagement for those with the common pregnancy complications of HDP and GDM is only slightly higher, and less than 60%. The potential for innovations such as VA maternity care coordinators to address such gaps merits attention. Published by Elsevier Inc.
INTRODUCTION: Pregnancy presents an opportunity to engage veterans in health care. Guidelines recommend primary care follow-up in the year postpartum, but loss to follow-up is common, poorly quantified, and especially important for those with gestational diabetes (GDM) and hypertension. Racial maternal inequities are well-documented and might be exacerbated by differential postpartum care. This study explores variation in postpartum re-engagement in U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs health care system (VA) primary care to identify potential racial/ethnic inequities in this care transition. METHODS: We conducted a complete case analysis of the 2005-2014 national VA birth cohort (n = 18,414), and subcohorts of veterans with GDM (n = 1,253) and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP; n = 2,052) using VA-reimbursed discharge claims and outpatient data. Outcomes included incidence of any VA primary care visit in the postpartum year; in age-adjusted logistic regression, we explored race/ethnicity as a primary predictor. RESULTS: In the year after a VA-covered birth, the proportion of veterans with one or more primary care visit was 53.8% overall, and slightly higher in the GDM (56.0%) and HDP (57.4%) subcohorts. In adjusted models, the odds of VA primary care follow-up were significantly lower for Black/African American (odds ratio, 0.87; 95% confidence interval, 0.81-0.93), Asian (odds ratio, 0.76; 95% confidence interval, 0.61-0.95), and Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander (odds ratio, 0.73; 95% confidence interval, 0.55-0.96) veterans, compared with White veterans. Among the subcohorts with GDM or HDP, there were no significant associations between primary care and race/ethnicity. CONCLUSIONS: One-half of veterans re-engage in VA primary care after childbirth, with significant racial differences in this care transition. Re-engagement for those with the common pregnancy complications of HDP and GDM is only slightly higher, and less than 60%. The potential for innovations such as VA maternity care coordinators to address such gaps merits attention. Published by Elsevier Inc.