Allegheny Health Network Launches CenteringPregnancy® at West Penn Hospital

Group-Based Prenatal Appointment Model Proven to Decrease Rates of Preterm and Low Weight Babies, Foster Stronger Emotional Support and Increase Attendance Among Birthing Patients

PITTSBURGH  –Allegheny Health Network (AHN) Women’s Institute and Highmark Health’s Equitable Health Institute are pleased to announce the launch of CenteringPregnancy®, a nationally-recognized model of group prenatal care shown to improve a wide range of birth outcomes, including lowering the risk of preterm births, reducing low birth weights and increasing breastfeeding rates.

The program will be based at AHN West Penn, home to the network’s busiest labor and delivery program. Network and hospital leadership joined AHN physicians and the CenteringPregnancy® team to celebrate the launch on Friday, May 12.

Patients will begin group visits in June at the newly renovated space in the Mellon Pavilion at AHN West Penn Hospital (4815 Liberty Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15224). The space was specifically designed to best accommodate group prenatal appointments. 

The CenteringPregnancy® model brings together between eight and 12 patients with similar due dates, as well as their partners, support people, and health care team. They meet for 10 prenatal visits following the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM) practice guidelines, but each visit is 90 minutes to two hours long — giving patients significantly more time with their provider team when compared to individual visits.

The model has shown to be particularly successful in improving outcomes among Black women and babies, who have higher rates of pregnancy- and birth-related complications than white populations. CenteringPregnancy’s group-care model helps to address those long-standing disparities.

"Group prenatal care is associated with lower rates of preterm birth and low-birthweight babies as well as improved reports of mental health and stronger patient engagement,” said Grace Ferguson, MD, OB-GYN at AHN Women’s Institute and a lead physician with CenteringPregnancy® at AHN West Penn Hospital. “As part of the Centering approach, patients learn and teach each other in a model that respects every person's unique experience coming into pregnancy. Centering puts patients in the center of their care experience and allows our skilled and compassionate clinicians to safely guide these groups through their health journey from conception through the fourth trimester.”

In a comparative study published in the Journal of Perinatology (DOI: 10.1038/jp.2017.33), maternal-fetal medicine specialists and OB-GYN physicians from Washington University School of Medicine found that when compared to traditional individual care, women who participated in group prenatal care had a significant reduction in low-birth-weight infants and were less likely to require cesarean delivery and higher-level neonatal care.

Group models of prenatal care have also been associated with increased patient engagement – demonstrated by the number of visits attended – as well as decreases in self-reported postpartum depression symptoms.

“We’re beyond thrilled to now offer CenteringPregnancy at AHN. We believe patients, especially Black mothers, birthing patients and their babies, will significantly benefit from this model of care,” said Margaret Larkins-Pettigrew, MD, OB-GYN physician and AHN’s chief clinical diversity, equity, and inclusion officer.

According to researchers at Boston’s Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, increased utilization rates were “particularly beneficial for young, urban women of color, who have unique pregnancy needs and experiences,” (DOI: 10.1016/j.whi.2015.09.011) while a Clemson University report showed that group prenatal care positively impacts the postpartum psychosocial well-being of women who report high stress and low coping skills during their pregnancy (DOI: 10.1007/s00737-015-0564-6).

“We are excited to partner with Allegheny Health Network and West Penn Hospital to expand CenteringPregnancy in western Pennsylvania,” said Angie Truesdale, CEO of Centering Healthcare Institute, the non-profit that provides implementation support, training and tools to ensure model fidelity to Centering practice sites. “They join a growing number of dedicated Centering practice sites throughout the U.S. and are advancing a movement that is positively impacting health outcomes, the patient experience and provider satisfaction.”

The launch of CenteringPregnancy® at AHN is a significant milestone in its ongoing mission to improve the health, equity and welfare of Black women and children in the U.S. In 2021, AHN announced its “First Steps and Beyond” initiative, established to reduce Black infant mortality and ensure that all babies born in the greater Pittsburgh region celebrate their first birthday. The program works to remove barriers to care and eliminate racial injustice within the health care system.

According to the March of Dimes, one in 10 babies were born preterm in the United States in 2021, with black infants representing the highest rate of premature babies at 14.2 percent.

“Preterm birth is the primary cause of infant death, at nearly 40 percent,” Dr. Pettigrew said. “That’s why it’s absolutely critical that we take a comprehensive approach to care for birthing patients from conception through their fourth trimester and beyond. Efforts like CenteringPregnancy and First Steps and Beyond aim to create a future where the risk of preterm birth, the inequities of Black women dying from pregnancy-related causes, and the disparities in early childhood are greatly reduced.”

For more information on CenteringPregnancy® or to enroll in group prenatal appointments, please contact Krista Flaherty at krista.flaherty@ahn.org.

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Centering Healthcare Institute
Centering Healthcare Institute (CHI) is improving health by transforming care through Centering groups. It has developed and sustained the Centering model in more than 450 practice sites and in some of the largest health systems in the world. They have partnered with many dedicated individuals and organizations to build a future where group healthcare becomes the standard of care. For more information on CHI and the Centering models of group care, visit www.centeringhealthcare.org.