Opportunity
Miscarriage is the most common complication of pregnancy, affecting one in five pregnancies. Improved technology in home testing means that women know sooner than ever that they are pregnant. Despite this, prenatal care does not start until late in the first trimester, leaving many patients unsure about where to turn if they suspect a problem early on.
This uncertainty, paired with the difficulty patients face in accessing timely, comprehensive outpatient services, leads to high utilization rates of emergency services when miscarriage symptoms occur. Unfortunately, the use of the emergency department (ED) in this case can lead to frustration and delays in care.
Intervention
PEACE is an integrated family planning and urgent pregnancy care model that fills this gap in care. It provides an office-based care option for the diagnosis, counseling management, and prevention of early pregnancy complications with an evidence-based approach that centers around the patient’s priorities.
A custom triage tool that can be used in-person, over the phone or online determines which patients can be seen safely in an outpatient setting vs. patients who should present to the ED.
Shifting care from the ED to an office-based setting enables the PEACE team to provide timely, comprehensive, and, most importantly, compassionate care.
Impact
PEACE improves patient experience and quality of care by decreasing variation. Instead of waiting for hours in the ED, patients have access to same-day, walk-in, and after-hours services. This streamlined access to care results in reduced stress and anxiety and gets patients to resolution faster. PEACE also reduces the cost associated with miscarriage, saving an estimated $500 per case.
PEACE services are currently available at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Medicine Washington Square, and Penn Medicine Cherry Hill.
