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Biomedical subjects

P M Mark

Publications and source records attributed to P M Mark.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Assessing the costs of HMO services: a preterm birth prevention program.

The prevention of preterm birth has been widely recognized as a means of improving health outcomes as well as reducing medical care costs. Group Health, Inc. (now HealthPartners), a large HMO in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn, developed a comprehensive preterm birth prevention program. The cost savings of the program were estimated through retrospective review of medical records. The impact of the program on birth outcomes was used to project the estimated reduction in expenses. The results suggest a probable savings of $615,000 for the 33 babies born full-term, who might otherwise have been preterm. There is a significant need for improved methods to assure that this kind of cost estimate is valid.

Cost Savings↗
PubMed1996

Alcohol and other drugs of abuse in pregnancy.

This paper presents an overview of the Mother-Baby Chemical Health Program (MBCHP), which was designed to decrease preterm births among pregnant women who use and abuse drugs. Three hundred and fifty-two patients enrolled in the program between January 1990 and December 1992 were followed. More than 90% of the women involved in the MBCHP did not use substances during their pregnancies. Approximately 93% of the participants delivered at 37 or more weeks gestation, and over 91% of the infants weighed 2500 grams or more.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Prematurity prevention programs: an analysis of successes and failures.

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to assess the long-term results of established prematurity prevention programs. STUDY DESIGN: A population cohort of pregnant women from two major urban health care organizations were examined. Rates and cost-benefit analysis of prematurity and patient, system, or physician failures were analyzed. During 1990 1143 pregnant women were prospectively reviewed. RESULTS: A total of 11.8% of the mothers were high risk and responsible for 108 (50.2%) of the preterm deliveries. The preterm birth rate of all enrollees was 4.6%. One percent of the preterm neonates required level III care for complications. The average charge for a 35 week infant was 18 times, and a 36 week infant was five times more costly than a term infant. Patient, physician, and health care system failures occurred at different rates. CONCLUSIONS: This preterm prevention program resulted in low preterm birth rates. Potentially preventable preterm births most often occurred as a result of patient and physician failures.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Reduction of preterm birth in an HMO.

In 1984 a preterm birth prevention project was introduced into a large, well-established HMO. Five years of resultant experience and data are compared to metropolitan area and state data. The method described by Dr. Robert Creasy was followed. Some recommendations for change of the screening tool are made. The impact on the preterm birth rate in the HMO setting was substantial, with the rate of decline exceeding that of the metropolitan area and the state.

Data Collection↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Drug abuse in pregnancy. Detection and intervention.

Drug abuse in the obstetric population of a large urban HMO is discussed. Marijuana metabolites were detected in 9.1% of urines submitted for routine pregnancy testing, while cocaine use was detected in 1.3%. A separate group of urines submitted for urine culture at the time of the first obstetric visit were tested and showed levels of 5.0% and 0.2%, respectively. Cocaine use was associated in an estimated 1-2% of all live births. The unexpected magnitude of this problem led to the creation of an outreach clinic and a process of care. The preliminary experience of our program forms the basis of this report.

Cocaine↗