Baltimore Washington Women's Health Associates Introduces Patient Centering Model for Newly Pregnant Women

GLEN BURNIE, MD – Baltimore Washington Women’s Health Associates (BWWHA) is offering a new model of care to pregnant women. CenteringPregnancy™ takes women out of exam rooms and into groups for their prenatal care. Women complete their conventional medical history and physical exam privately and then join a group of eight to 12 women with similar due dates. Each group completes their prenatal care together, with a facilitator and provider at ten sessions. Women not only track the health of their pregnancy, but also discuss a variety of educational topics.

“This is not one-stop prenatal care shopping,” said nurse midwife and Centering provider Paula J. Greer, CNM. “There is a synergistic effect to what we are doing so you get a set of value-added services, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It's bundling for the mother-to-be!"

Groups — which are formed between 12 and 16 weeks gestation — meet regularly throughout the pregnancy. The groups continue to meet after delivery, meeting every month for four months and then bi-weekly. Approximately 8 to 12 women comprise each group.

CenteringPregnancy was piloted in the early 1990s by a nurse midwife, Sharon Schindler Rising. Now there are over 300 Centering sites in almost all 50 states and some foreign countries.

Centering groups promote:
• Better birth outcomes
• More provider and patient contact
• Patient empowerment and learning
• Self-care
• Support and friendship among group members

The groups have scheduled appointments and discuss health concerns and expectations in a supportive setting. Healthy snacks and refreshments are served.

For more information about CenteringPregnancy or to sign up, please call 410-553-8260.