With an emphasis on reducing health disparities and improving the patient’s care experience, this program aims to drive coordinated, efficient, and high-value maternity care through the use of Case Rate payments (episode-based payments), upside only incentive payments (shared savings), performance and reporting-based quality measures, and expanded services that support positive maternal and infant health outcomes.

To reduce health disparities and promote health equity through the maternity bundle, HUSKY Health will:

• Address and remedy disparities of access, utilization, and outcomes for pregnant women
• Place particular emphasis on women of color, women with substance use disorders, and women with a high social vulnerability index as these are the women disproportionately affected by health disparities
• Include bundle elements that promote equitable access to care and supports (e.g., doulas, breastfeeding supports)
• Examine all services through the lens of race and ethnicity to ensure we are working to close health equity gaps

For more information, including important program updates, please click here.

For questions and assistance regarding this program, please contact your practice’s Community Health Network of Connecticut, Inc.^® (CHNCT) Provider Engagement Services (PES) representative, or send an email to: maternitybundlequestions@chnct.org.

Postcards that included a QR code link to the survey were also distributed. The survey remained open from January 27, 2025, through June 6, 2025. A total of 55 practices completed the survey.

Approximately 72% of the responses indicated that the HPV, Tdap, and MenACWY vaccines are offered at age 11 or 12. For the HPV vaccine, 25% of the responses indicated that it is offered starting at age nine. The most common barriers were identified as Parental/Guardian vaccine hesitancy and Need for additional parental/guardian education. Timely completion of vaccines and Other (please specify) received an equal number of responses. Other responses included missed appointments, lack of school requirement for the HPV vaccine, and vaccine refusal.

The top three processes that practices currently utilize include Review of vaccination status at every patient encounter, followed by Reminder and recall system (e.g., telephone, email, text message, or mail) for vaccines that are due or are overdue, and Vaccination-only visits or after-hour visits specifically for vaccine administration. Lastly, the top three strategies indicated to be most successful in increasing adolescent vaccination uptake were Allowing for time during the patient encounter to provide education and discuss parental/guardian questions or concerns about immunizations, Physician/Healthcare Professional training and education focused on immunizations, and Initiating the HPV vaccine discussion earlier on (e.g., 9^th birthday).

HUSKY Health is dedicated to improving immunization rates for adolescent members enrolled in the HUSKY Health program. Despite the proven benefits that immunizations provide, there are still many barriers that exist. CHNCT will utilize the data obtained from the provider survey to strengthen educational campaigns and initiatives aimed at improving member and quality outcomes in 2025 and beyond.

Accompanying handouts are available for each class. Classes such as, “Dad, Let’s Talk: Give Your Child the Attention They Crave,” “Mental Health Literacy for Parents: The Basics,” “Going Back to Work After Having a Baby,” and many more can be found here: https://www.peaceathomeparenting.com/husky-health. This informative resource can be of great benefit to your HUSKY Health patients. Please share it with them as you can.