ChristianaCare, a Delaware-based regional healthcare system, is partnering with NeuroFlow, a behavioral health technology and analytics company, to provide mental health support to expectant mothers.
NeuroFlow's platform will be available for pregnant and postpartum patients at ChristianaCare's hospitals and 15 OB-GYN outpatient locations, as well as ChristianaCare's Center for Women's Emotional Wellness.
Pregnant and postpartum patients at ChristianaCare will have access to a mobile app and text message-based communications, education and assessments aimed at helping them develop skills for managing the challenges of pregnancy and parenthood.
Patients will also receive pertinent resources and regular evaluations automatically from NeuroFlow.
Additionally, clinical care teams will use key data points to monitor patient progress and track behavioral health symptoms and physical care requirements.
The use of the mobile app is voluntary, and patients will not be required to download and use it to access prenatal or postpartum care.
The initiative is part of a suite of tools developed by NeuroFlow aimed at closing care gaps in maternal mental health, where the company contends that patients have customarily been "under-screened and under-supported."
In a statement, ChristianaCare also announced it is investing in the technology to enable care teams to provide mental health support to pregnant patients in their homes at no additional cost.
"This era of tech-enabled care is unlocking the ability for care teams to stay ahead of mental health escalations and engage patients beyond the four walls of the hospital," said Dr. Tom Zaubler, NeuroFlow's chief behavioral health officer, said in a statement.
Dr. Kaveeta Kumar, interim chair of OB-GYN at ChristianaCare, noted that the technology will significantly enhance ChristianaCare's ability to identify and respond to the individual needs of mothers.
"It will provide impactful tools that can offer patients peace of mind and give care teams the opportunity to intervene when mental health needs escalate," Kumar said in a statement.
THE LARGER TREND
In January, NeuroFlow acquired virtual mental and behavioral health platform Quartet Health.
Quartet brought a behavioral health provider network and referral management capabilities that expanded NeuroFlow's offerings to its existing customers.
That same month, NeuroFlow acquired Intermountain Health's proprietary health analytics model. The acquisition aims to accelerate the enhancement of NeuroFlow's analytics and AI capabilities, enabling the broad deployment of risk assessment models.
It is also intended to provide more healthcare organizations with behavioral health intelligence to help with clinical decision-making and health outcomes.
In 2024, Paramus, New Jersey-based Bergen New Bridge Medical Center partnered with NeuroFlow to help gauge and oversee patient population risk.
NeuroFlow's workflow tools were integrated into the medical center's ambulatory care settings to enhance the identification of behavioral health needs and distribute care resources.
The alliance initially focused on providing care team members with the ability to track and assess patient progress between appointments and improve resource allocation.
Earlier this month, ChristianaCare and Virtua Health signed a non-binding letter of intent to explore the co-founding of a regional not-for-profit health system.
The combined system would provide care across more than 10 contiguous counties in New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland, with more than 600 sites of care, nearly 30,000 employees and academic programs supporting more than 500 residents and fellows.
