Strategies for Hospitals to Leverage New Technology and Collaborative Care to Improve Nationwide Maternal Outcomes

The United States is experiencing a maternal mortality and morbidity crisis, with access to maternity care remaining a critical challenge. Hospitals play a pivotal role in improving maternal and neonatal outcomes by providing comprehensive care and leveraging emerging technologies. Over two million women of reproductive age live in maternity care deserts, affecting one-third of U.S. counties.¹ The shortage of obstetricians and maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) specialists, especially in rural areas, exacerbates this issue². Hospitals must take a proactive approach by integrating technology, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and implementing protocols to reduce disparities³ and enhance maternal health outcomes. By adopting these strategies, hospitals can serve as the cornerstone for improving access, equity, and quality in maternal healthcare nationwide.

The Scope of the Crisis

According to the CDC, the maternal mortality rate for 2021 was 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births. This increases with age as well as specific race, ethnicity, and location.⁴ The lack of maternity care access disproportionately affects rural communities and marginalized populations. Many hospitals have shut down maternity wards due to financial constraints, including lack of government funding along with limited insurance reimbursements, further limiting available resources. Women in these “deserts” often have to travel long distances to receive prenatal care, increasing the risk of complications. Furthermore, implicit bias within healthcare settings continues to contribute to racial disparities, with Black and Indigenous women experiencing significantly higher maternal mortality rates than their white counterparts.⁵

Technological Innovations in Maternal Healthcare

To combat these challenges, hospitals must embrace emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), telemedicine, and remote patient monitoring. AI-driven diagnostic tools can predict potential complications early, allowing for timely interventions. For example, hospitals should integrate AI into clinical decision support systems to help clinicians assess risks like preeclampsia, hemorrhage, or fetal distress more accurately and quickly. Additionally, simulation training for pregnancy-related emergencies can improve hospital readiness and response times in critical situations.⁶

Telemedicine expands access to maternal-fetal medicine specialists, mental health support, and general practitioners and other specialists, ensuring that pregnant women receive the necessary care regardless of their location. Nurses and pharmacists can remotely monitor heart rates, blood pressure, glucose levels, and other vital signs, then quickly alert the physician when necessary, preventing delayed care.

To further optimize care, hospitals can work on improving current technology to optimize alerts, prevent alert fatigue, and ensure that healthcare providers are promptly notified about urgent issues without being overwhelmed by unnecessary information. Integrating electronic health records (EHR) can help improve transitions of care, ensuring that pregnant women who are referred between specialists or to different facilities receive continuous, coordinated care.

Numerous mobile applications now support the pregnancy journey, enabling women to track their symptoms, nutritional intake, fetal development, and mental health. These apps can share data with healthcare providers, reducing bias and improving equity in care. By leveraging these digital tools, clinicians can develop personalized care plans for patients that enhance maternal and fetal health outcomes.

Expanding Interdisciplinary Collaboration

A comprehensive approach to maternal health depends on interdisciplinary collaboration, ensuring that pregnant women receive holistic, well-coordinated care. Hospitals can leverage both in-person and remote consultations with various medical professionals. In addition to maternal fetal medicine specialists, obstetricians, midwives, and nurses, these include cardiologists, gastroenterologists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, general practitioners, as well as other interdisciplinary providers:

• Doulas: Studies show that doula-assisted births result in significantly better outcomes, including lower cesarean rates, fewer preterm births, higher APGAR scores, increased breastfeeding success, and overall improved birthing experiences.⁷ Integrating doulas into hospital maternity care teams can enhance patient satisfaction and clinical results.
• Registered Dietitians: Proper nutrition is essential for both maternal and fetal health. Dietitians can provide tailored guidance on prenatal nutrition, gestational diabetes management, and dietary adjustments for conditions such as hyperemesis gravidarum.
• Case Managers: Navigating the complex healthcare and insurance landscape can be overwhelming for pregnant mothers. Case managers help coordinate care, connect patients to available resources, and optimize financial outcomes for both patients and hospitals.
• Physical Therapists: Many pregnancy-related complications, such as pelvic pain, urinary incontinence, and musculoskeletal discomfort, can be effectively managed with physical therapy. Just as hospitals prioritize post-surgical rehabilitation, they should integrate physical therapy into maternal care to prevent complications.
• Pharmacists: As highly trained healthcare professionals with extensive clinical knowledge, pharmacists stay up to date with newly FDA-approved medications and can implement pharmacogenetic testing for personalized care. Their expertise includes monitoring anticoagulation therapies, reducing the risk of postpartum hemorrhage, and providing tailored treatments for conditions such as hyperemesis gravidarum, gestational diabetes, and hypertensive disorders, including preeclampsia. Furthermore, pharmacists collaborate with obstetricians and mental health specialists to support women experiencing postpartum depression, miscarriage, or stillbirth, ensuring a holistic and comprehensive approach to maternal care. Completing medication reconciliations supports continuity of care during transitions in and out of the hospital, resulting in improved medication safety. Pharmacists are vital in ensuring safe and effective medication management for pregnant women. 

By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, hospitals can improve maternal health outcomes while also enhancing operational efficiencies and reducing overall healthcare costs.

Enhancing Maternal Care Services in Hospitals

Beyond education of labor, delivery, and breastfeeding, hospitals should expand their maternity care services to include:

• Infusions for Nutrition and Antiemetics: Pregnant women suffering from diseases like hyperemesis gravidarum or iron deficiency anemia often require intravenous therapy. Providing this service away from patients with contagious diseases ensures that pregnant women receive necessary treatments without unnecessary delays or risk of being exposed to an infection.
• Antenatal Prognostic and Diagnostic Services: Handheld ultrasound scanners and lab tests, such as sFlt-1/PlGF for preeclampsia, can help identify complications early, allowing for proactive management.
• Mental Health Support: Perinatal depression and anxiety affect a significant number of pregnant women. Integrating mental health services into maternity care can improve overall well-being and prevent severe postpartum complications.
• Diabetes Support and Education: Gestational diabetes requires careful monitoring and lifestyle modifications. Providing comprehensive education and continuous glucose monitoring can enhance maternal and fetal health.

Creating Safe and Supportive Emergency Room Environments

Hospitals should ensure that pregnant women feel safe and supported. Protocols should be in place for pregnant women presenting to the emergency room. These guidelines will help mitigate implicit bias, ensuring that all patients receive timely and appropriate care. Dedicated areas can keep pregnant women away from patients with contagious diseases, minimizing their risk of infection. Additionally, maternity services should begin before conception or early in pregnancy, rather than focusing solely on labor and delivery. Traditional group classes and hospital tours should be complemented by early pregnancy support, including digital resources to ease communication between the patient, provider, and the hospital.

Conclusion

Addressing the maternal mortality and morbidity crisis in the United States requires a transformative approach. Hospitals can improve maternal health outcomes and reduce disparities by integrating advanced technologies, expanding interdisciplinary collaboration, and enhancing maternity care services. Adopting mobile applications, remote monitoring, and telemedicine will further bridge gaps in care, ensuring that every pregnant woman receives the support she needs. Through these collective efforts, hospitals can revolutionize maternal healthcare, resulting in healthier pregnancies nationwide.

1. March of Dimes. (2022). Maternity care deserts report 2022. March of Dimes. https://www.marchofdimes.org/maternity-care-deserts-report-2022#:~:text=The%20new%20findings%3A&text=In%20maternity%20care%20deserts%20alone, women%20with%20no%20maternity%20care.
2. Muneer, F., & El-Feil, W. (2023). Pregnancy complications and maternal outcomes in patients with autoimmune disease: A systematic review. PubMed Central. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38802726/
3. Kaiser Family Foundation. (2023, September 15). Racial disparities in maternal and infant health: Current status and efforts to address them. Kaiser Family Foundation. https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/issue-brief/racial-disparities-in-maternal-and-infant-health-current-status-and-efforts-to-address-them/#:~:text=Pregnancy%2Drelated%20mortality%20rates%20among,18.1%20per%20100%2C000
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Maternal mortality rates in 2021. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/maternal-mortality/2021/maternal-mortality-rates-2021.htm#:~:text=The%20increases%20from%202020%20to,age%20groups%20were%20statistically%20significant
5. Clinical Advisor. (2023). Reforming institutions, integrating technology, and addressing maternal mortality. Clinical Advisor. https://www.clinicaladvisor.com/features/reforming-institutions-integrating-technology-maternal-mortality/
6. Sarmonian, Armen (2025, March1). Medication Safety Aspects of Pharmacy Informatics [Conference Presentation] PCPSC 2025, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
7. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2022, December 13). Doula issue brief. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/dfcd768f1caf6fabf3d281f762e8d068/ASPE-Doula-Issue-Brief-12-13-22.pdf