To carve out a statewide preventive niche among its mothers-to-be, Medical Mutual of Ohio launched BabyLink, a perinatal education and intervention program that is improving the health of babies on several preventive levels.
Launched in 1995, the program is boosting birth weights and decreasing cesarian section rates and the number of days babies spend in neonatal intensive care.
In less than three years, the program is besting national pregnancy outcomes reported by the Centers for Disease Control. Compared to national statistics:
- BabyLink newborns spend one-third fewer days in neonatal intensive care;
- Premature deliveries are down by 5%; and
- The number of low birth weight babies is 2% lower.
Using physicians as the program's primary messengers, BabyLink is reaching new moms with customized education packets, nurse coordinators who identify high-risk symptoms and a 24-hour toll-free hotline.
After the post-pregnancy follow-up process, MMO sends the mother a $50 savings bond for her new baby. The cost of executing the program is less than the cost of delivering one premature birth, says Ben Zelman, MMO's VP of care management, who would not disclose specific numbers.
Although BabyLink has achieved some impressive results, the biggest challenge continues to be identifying the health plan's pregnant members, says Zelman, Currently, 15% to 18% of MMO's pregnant members have used Babylink, the short-term goal is to see that percentage shoot up to 50%. To get there, MMO recently launched a media relations effort. This is the first project taken on by MMO's newly formed corporate communications department.
Program Becomes Media Darling
The campaign's PR charge is to expand Babylink's exposure outside of Cleveland (MMO's headquarters) and generate media coverage in top markets like Cincinatti, Columbus and Dayton. The media strategy, lead by Don Olson, MMO's manager of media relations, focused on two audiences: the preventive care benefits for the business press and local success stories involving Babylink moms for health reporters.
Preliminary results of the campaign, which launched in January and concludes this month, include beefed up program inquiries and enrollment numbers. Member phone calls for the program have shot up to 200 calls per month from 100 and enrollments swelled to 125 members per month from 35.
TV stations and newspapers throughout the state were blanketed with pitches. Overall, reporters bought into the program's preventive benefits so the challenge was coordinating interviews with BabyLink moms in each of the key markets and getting on the broadcast radar screen during sweeps month (February).
The coordination effort, organized by Doreen Lazarus, involved making moms comfortable with talking to the media and prepping hospitals and physicians for interviews. Lazarus spoke with 62 moms, resulting in 16 interviews and with 29 doctors, leading to six interviews.
As of early March, the media effort had generated major market broadcast coverage in Columbus, Cleveland, Youngstown and Cincinnati. And high-profile features have run in four newspapers in second-tier markets like Ashtabula and Akron. Additional media coverage has been confirmed through June in key markets like Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus, say Lazarus. (MMO, 216/687-2899)
Getting Physician Buy-in
Like most consumer-focused health plan marketing programs, Medical Mutual of Ohio's (MMO) BabyLink perinatal education program thrives on active physician involvement.
To get broad provider support from those who might feeled threatened by the services, MMO stresses that BabyLink augments their jobs instead of replacing some of their patient responsibilities.
"BabyLink helps to facilitate the coordination of high-risk case management between the physician, member and Medical Mutual," says Ben Zelman, MMO's VP of care management.
A BabyLink coordinator works with the woman's physician in identifying high-risk pregnancies, and, if appropriate, enrolling the mother into a Medical Mutual high-risk pregnancy care management program.
Babylink health assessments and identified risks are communicated to physicians throughout the process.
After the member has completer her post-pregnancy follow-up program, she is given a $50 savings bond for her new baby.
The media relations effort is also strengthening provider relations, according to Don Olson, MMO's manager of media relations. So far, positive BabyLink TV and print media coverage has involved hospitals in Toledo, Columbus and Cleveland.
Source: Medical Mutual of Ohio