QI PROGRAMS / MOC IV
Care2: Two Generation Interconception Care Project
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General Information
Are you ready to let new moms know you care about their health too?
The Care2 QI Project will launch Phase 4 in 2026. Participating practices will begin with pre-work meetings and baseline data collection from July – September, followed by a nine-month QI Action Period through June 2027.
The Care2 approach combines lessons learned across previous interconception care and infant mortality prevention projects into interventions to address topics impacting both maternal health and infant health during pediatric well-child visits. The project will support participating practices to implement screenings, discussion, and resources for children and caregivers in visits for birth – 18 months of age. Topics of focus in the project include:
- Smoke exposure and cessation of tobacco or vape use
- Family planning and multivitamin use
- Safe sleep environments
- Maternal depression
Pediatric, family medicine and internal medicine primary care providers are all eligible for enrollment in Care2, allowing for collaborative learning with participants across disciplines. Participants in Care2 will:
- Connect with mothers during well-child visits to identify risk factors and connect them to appropriate resources and treatment
- As she considers future pregnancies, use valuable in-office time to consider mom’s health, too
- Utilize enhanced protocols to improve office processes related to interconception care
- Provide families with tangible resources, such as vitamins, sleep sacks and books
Contact Hayley Southworth at hsouthworth@ohioaap.org to receive more information about enrolling in Care2, or complete the information request at the bottom of this page to receive follow up on Phase 4 enrollment.
Interconception Care Program Results
Since 2021, 97 practices in 32 counties have participated in an interconception care QI project! In these projects, practices have demonstrated improvements including:
- Increases in screening to more than 90% of the time for all focus topics, outpacing average screening rates captured in the Ohio Pregnancy Assessment Survey (OPAS).
- Reduced family risks or needs for each focus topic, by as much as 24% (for multivitamin use).
- Distributed thousands of sleep sacks, safe sleep board books, and multivitamins to Ohio families.
- Captured screening data for more than 25,000 patient encounters in Ohio.
Staff & Leadership
- Douglas Fleck, MD, FAAP – Medical Director
- Michele Dritz, MD, FAAP – Primary Care Content Expert
- Jamie Macklin, MD, MPH, FAAP – ICC Content Expert
- Amythest Gauthier, MD – Family Medicine Content Expert
- Kathryn Tobin, MD – Internal Med/Peds Content Expert
- Hayley Southworth, MS – Program Manager
Care2 is a Quality Improvement Project sponsored by the Ohio Department of Medicaid, Ohio Department of Children and Youth, and administered by the Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center in partnership with the Ohio Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics.
Phase 4 Pre-Registration and Information Request
Complete this form to receive additional information on enrollment in Phase 4 of the Care2 Project.
