Promoting Maternal Health in Rural and Underserved Areas

Abstract

Maternal and newborn health in rural America suffers from a lack of obstetrical care, which is currently at crisis levels. Many state-level public policies have exacerbated or even initiated barriers to quality and access in rural healthcare. Such policies include certificate-of-need (CON) laws, scope-of-practice restrictions, state medical licensing requirements, and limits to telemedicine implementation. These regulatory roadblocks need to be critically reconsidered in light of poor outcomes. Supporting innovative technological strategies that leapfrog over existing rural obstacles, such as geographic distance and limited hospital care, promises to accelerate productive change and should be supported at the policy level. This brief will present and analyze the diverse causes behind the rural obstetrical care crisis and discuss how judicious public policy and technological innovation can help improve healthcare quality and access in rural America.