Baby+Company and Anthem Provide In-Network Services to Expectant Moms Seeking a Birth Center Experience

Collaboration Strengthens Opportunity to Improve Clinical Outcomes for Women and Babies

WHEAT RIDGE, Colo.--()--Baby+Company and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Colorado (Anthem) have entered into an agreement to provide in-network coverage to shared clients at the Baby+Company birth center. Clinical services available at Baby+Company include pre-natal, labor and delivery, postpartum, and newborn care, as well as annual exams, pre-conception and birth control.

“Our agreement with Anthem helps to strengthen our shared goal to improve clinical outcomes for women and babies by offering a wide range of support for families as they enter a new stage of life,” says Cara Osborne, founder and chief clinical officer for Baby+Company. “We talk a lot, in healthcare, about the ‘Triple Aim.’ I started Baby+Company because this is a care model that meets every triple aim objective, is in high demand and yet is not available many communities in the United States.”

The national Triple Aim goal includes improving health outcomes, improving patient experience and lowering system costs. As the United States works to reduce national cesarean rates, which are the highest in the developed world, groups like the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) have recommended that birth centers become part of the formal health system as one way to help ensure that women receive appropriate care.

“Childbirth is both one of the most common medical events and one of the greatest opportunities we have for improving health care value,” said Dr. Elizabeth Kraft, senior clinical director for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Colorado. “Baby+Company offers a way to give our members a choice in their birthing options while also providing a unique way to help lower the cost curve for maternity and newborn care.”

Baby+Company, the only freestanding birth center in the area to partner with a medical center, opened in May 2015 and is conveniently located within blocks of Lutheran Medical Center and Westside Women’s Care. The center, situated a short distance from the Highlands, is currently serving the prenatal care needs of nearly 50 clients from Denver, Wheat Ridge, Littleton, Boulder and surrounding areas.

“Our relationship with trusted medical institutions is a core part of our model. We are thrilled to collaborate with our partners on the shared goal of high-quality maternity care and pleased to also offer our clients seamless access to services at Lutheran Medical Center when needed,” says Osborne. “We have been extremely impressed by Anthem’s focus on identifying innovative care models that improve patient outcomes.”

Baby+Company delivers a unique birth experience, combining highly personalized clinical care with the benefits of partnership with a leading medical institution that has a long history of excellence in women’s services. In addition, the model of care emphasizes lower intervention rates and therefore often lower costs for patients depending on the details of their health plan. The organization has invested in many aspects of the prenatal experience to create a personalized service for moms-to-be. Patients will experience cohort-based education, interactive support resources including an electronic hospital record system with robust content library, 24/7 availability of providers via email, phone, and video chat, and an in-home postpartum visit two days after delivery.

“Expectant mothers increasingly are curious to explore a range of options for their maternity care,” said Janet Pogar, regional vice president of provider solutions for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Colorado. “We are delighted to have Baby+Company in our network for moms who want to deliver in a freestanding, midwife-led birth center rather than a hospital labor and delivery ward.”

Multiple studies have shown that increasing access to safe, out-of-hospital birthing options has a number of positive effects from lowering cost, improving customer satisfaction and improving clinical outcomes for low-risk moms and babies.

Baby+Company’s center is located at 7777 W 38th Ave., #130, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033. For more information, visit wheatridge.babyandcompany.com or email info@babyandcompany.com.

About Baby + Company

Baby+Company owns and operates boutique birthing centers. Our mission is to reset the standard of maternity care by growing a model that supports, educates, and celebrates the wellness of pregnancy. Our centers offer personalized, evidenced based clinical care in an intimate, comfortable environment. We also offer a full range of wellness and educational services including childbirth and newborn education, prenatal yoga, nutritional counseling, new mom discussion groups, lactation support and more.

Clinical excellence and safety are first and foremost. Clinical care is led by our teams of experienced Certified Nurse Midwives with clinical consultation from carefully selected local physician partners. Our Midwives are available 24x7 in person, via email, or for scheduled mobile video appointments. Baby+Company centers are set up in close proximity to leading hospitals and we partner with the health systems to provide a seamless transition to medical services as needed, ensuring continuity of care for our patients before, during and after birth.

About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Colorado

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of Rocky Mountain Hospital and Medical Service, Inc., an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. ® ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Colorado is available at www.anthem.com. Also follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AskAnthem or www.twitter.com/AnthemPR_CO , on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AskAnthem.

Contacts

Anthem Media Contact:
Joyzelle Davis
(303) 831-2005
Joyzelle.davis@anthem.com
or
Baby+Company Media Contact:
Lexi Rudolph
(919) 334-3790
Lexi.Rudolph@fleishman.com

Contacts

Anthem Media Contact:
Joyzelle Davis
(303) 831-2005
Joyzelle.davis@anthem.com
or
Baby+Company Media Contact:
Lexi Rudolph
(919) 334-3790
Lexi.Rudolph@fleishman.com