AI Pilots Target High-Risk Pregnancies

- Virginia’s pregnancy-associated death rate was 70.1 per 100,000 live births in 2022, an increase from 66.9 in 2021. To improve maternal health outcomes, Governor Glenn Youngkin's administration has launched new data dashboards to track metrics like preterm births, infant mortality, and maternal smoking rates by region and demographic. - Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have identified a "lipid fingerprint" in the blood of pregnant women that can help predict the risk of developing preeclampsia, a leading cause of maternal death worldwide. This discovery could lead to simple blood tests to identify at-risk individuals for earlier monitoring and intervention. - Major Virginia health systems are broadly integrating artificial intelligence. Sentara Health, which has 12 hospitals, is expanding its use of an AI and virtual care platform from Andor Health and uses Microsoft's DAX Copilot to reduce administrative tasks for clinicians. VCU Health has appointed a chief data and AI officer to oversee the strategic integration of these technologies. - Virginia is projected to have a nursing shortage of over 20,000 nurses in the next decade, which will impact maternal healthcare availability. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the healthcare and social assistance sector will see the largest job growth nationally, at 8.4% through 2034. - In May 2025, Governor Youngkin signed House Bill 1923 into law, mandating that private insurers and Medicaid reimburse Licensed Certified Midwives and Licensed Midwives at the same rates as Certified Nurse Midwives for the same services. This is seen as a significant step toward expanding maternal care options and addressing the provider shortage in underserved areas. - As of May 2024, there were 398 Certified Nurse-Midwives/Certified Midwives in Virginia. The Virginia Affiliate of the American College of Nurse-Midwives advocates for expanding access to midwifery care and was a key supporter of the recent reimbursement parity legislation. - The Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative (VNPC), housed at Virginia Commonwealth University, was awarded $1 million in federal funding over five years to address maternal mortality. The VNPC works with hospitals and providers on quality improvement initiatives and implements recommendations from the state's Maternal Mortality Review Team. - Nearly a third of Virginia's counties are considered maternal health deserts with limited access to care. In response, a proposed budget amendment aims to create a workgroup to address barriers to accessing midwives through Medicaid managed care plans, as many of the state's more than 500 midwives do not currently accept these plans.