Pregnancy is a busy period for many expectant mothers, full of prenatal appointments and preparations. But after the baby is delivered, health care appointments often peter out and the woman's well-being takes a backseat.
"What often happens is you'll get through a pregnancy, you'll deliver and leave the hospital—and then, it's like, crickets," Dr. Tanya Sorensen, executive director of the maternal and fetal medicine program at Providence Swedish, told Newsweek. "People don't get that follow up care that they need, and [as a medical system] we're not good at making that happen."
That's where technology comes in. Remote patient monitoring tools are becoming more sophisticated, and at some health systems, they have made prenatal and postpartum care more consistent, leading to improved outcomes for mothers and babies.
More than one-third of women experience lasting health problems after giving birth, according to a 2023 postpartum research series sponsored by the United Nations, the World Health Organization and the United States Agency for International Development.
There are several reasons why these conditions go untreated and undetected—and many of them can be linked to inconvenience, maternal-fetal medicine physicians from some of America's best maternity hospitals told Newsweek.
In 2024, more than 35 percent of U.S. counties were considered maternity care "deserts." Women who live in these sparse areas must travel to access care, and as obstetric units across the country shutter, they may experience longer wait times and higher costs when they do find a doctor.
A pregnant mother is likely to pay the gas and the medical bills for her child, but is less likely to make the same sacrifices for her own health—especially when a newborn baby must make the trip with her. Only about 40 percent of U.S. women attend the recommended postpartum visit, according to a 2024 study in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Notably, 60 percent of maternal deaths occur in this same postpartum period.
Remote patient monitoring tools allow clinicians to monitor their patients' health from afar, so mothers don't necessarily need to leave their homes to receive a check-up.
One of the most promising use cases for the tech is in blood pressure monitoring, since pregnancy complications are associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, according to Sorensen (whose Seattle-based health system delivers approximately 70,000 babies each year).
"If we can do remote patient monitoring with blood pressure and have some kind of liaison between the patient and a [care] navigator or clinician in our system, we can catch those patients early, intervene and give them a healthier outcome," she said.
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How do OB-GYNs monitor blood pressure remotely?
UChicago Medicine has developed an award-winning program to monitor blood pressure remotely. STAMPP-HTN—which stands for "systematic treatment and management of postpartum hypertension"—is available to all mothers who give birth at the health system and have a history of high blood pressure during pregnancy or delivery.
Patients who enroll in the program receive a free, Bluetooth-enabled blood pressure monitor that is connected to an app called Health Recovery Solutions. The monitor maintains connectivity 24/7, tracking the patient's blood pressure for up to six weeks after they are discharged from the hospital. Nurses, employed by the app, are consistently monitoring that data and automatically escalating any concerns.
Blood pressure recordings are also synced to Epic, UChicago's electronic medical record, where clinical staff can access individual patients' data.
Since January 2019, more than 6,000 patients have enrolled in the program, with 70 to 90 patients joining each month, Dr. Sarosh Rana—a maternal-fetal medicine specialist, section chief for maternal-fetal medicine and an OB-GYN professor at UChicago—told Newsweek. STAMPP-HTN has been so successful that it has been replicated at nine health systems across 11 states.
At UChicago, severe hypertension rates have decreased, and blood pressure control has improved amongst postpartum patients, Rana said. STAMPP-HTN patients report that they feel more engaged and empowered in their own care, and are more likely to follow up on their health when using remote monitoring tools.
"There is also data that managing postpartum blood pressures reduces the rates of inappropriate readmissions and emergency department visits, and will reduce excess morbidity that patients will suffer from uncontrolled blood pressure in the postpartum period," Rana added, "so it is cost effective."
The program has also helped to reduce health disparities. In the United States, Black women are more than three times as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than their white counterparts. Black women are also more likely to develop pregnancy-related hypertensive diseases than non-black women.
Since UChicago launched STAMPP-HTN, rates of postpartum follow-up amongst Black women have more than doubled: from 30 percent (in 2019) to 81 percent (currently).
"This program has completely eliminated disparity," Rana said. "In the beginning, there was about [a] 23 percent gap for follow-up between Black and non-Black patients, and currently, there is no gap."
How else are OB-GYNs using remote patient monitoring technologies?
Remote patient monitoring technologies are also helping to thin access disparities that cross regions, Sorensen said. At Providence Swedish, an urban, tertiary and quaternary medical facility, her patients can easily access diabetes education, genetic and nutrition counseling.
But at rural or critical access hospitals—where these resources are fewer and farther between—doctors can partner with digital solutions providers to bolster their service offerings. This way, patients can access a more robust service suite without ever leaving their homes.
One of Providence Swedish's digital partners is SimpliFed, a maternal care platform that offers virtual breastfeeding support. SimpliFed partners with commercial, Medicaid and Tricare health plans, and more than 300 health systems and medical practices across the country.
According to self-reported data from the company, 87 percent of patients who use SimpliFed are feeding with breast milk at three months postpartum, compared to national average of around 60 percent.
SimpliFed has also demonstrated a 66 percent reduction in postpartum emergency room (ER) visits compared to the national average, CEO Andrea Ippolito told Newsweek. She hypothesizes that consistent breastfeeding support reduces mastitis on the mother's side (a painful condition that occurs when bacteria forms in clogged milk ducts) and failure to thrive on the baby's side (which often occurs when the baby doesn't gain enough weight).
Both of these conditions frequently present in ERs postpartum—and they're both tied to feeding issues, Ippolito noted.
Through SimpliFed's virtual platform, patients can connect with lactation consultants who offer advice for latching, positioning and any pain that accompanies breastfeeding. Ippolito founded the company after her own challenges with the complicated, under-supported process.
"You're using an organ, your breast, in a way it's never been used before," Ippolito said. "Baby feeding is so connected to not just baby's health, but mom's physical and mental health."
What are the challenges of remote maternity and postpartum care?
On April 17, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) updated its care guidelines, recommending a more individualized approach that allows average and low-risk patients to have fewer in-person visits. Historically, 12 to 14 prenatal visits have been recommended for every patient—but for the first time in nearly a century, ACOG is suggesting "other care modalities to "meet patients where they are."
The guidelines specifically reference telehealth, but are careful not to recommend it for all patients in all situations. Research into the effects of telehealth on maternal mental health is "mixed," according to ACOG. For example, video visits can give insight into a patient's home setting. Some patients might see this as a way to improve connection, but others could view it as an invasion of privacy.
Plus, the report notes, some health care providers don't have the infrastructure required to field telehealth appointments. While partners like SimpliFed can help, there are so many options that choosing the right one can also be overwhelming, Sorensen said. She estimates that she's spoken with 100 digital health companies offering solutions for maternal and fetal medicine.
"There's too much and it's too scattered, and so it's really hard for a [health] system or hospital to settle on a universal solution," Sorensen said. "Choosing the best option that will cover the most patients and be flexible for different situations is going to be key."
