Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #108278

Rachel M. Everhart, MS¹, Elizabeth M. Whitley, PhD¹, and Richard A. Wright, MD, MPH². (1) Community Voices, Denver Health, 777 Bannock St. MC 1914, Denver, CO 80204, (303) 436-5393, rachel.everhart@dhha.org, (2) Community Health Services, Denver Health, 777 Bannock Street, Denver, CO 80204

Denver Health (DH) applied return on investment (ROI) methodology to evaluate a barrier-free, no cost pregnancy testing program by community outreach workers and concurrent facilitated enrollment into publicly funded health plans. The program aimed to increase healthcare access for Denver's medically underserved women of childbearing age and to increase Medicaid-compensated prenatal and delivery care at Denver Health's integrated public safety-net healthcare system.

We estimated the cost per test, including testing supplies and outreach workers' salary and benefits, to be $5.31. From July through December 2003, outreach workers conducted 863 free pregnancy tests at a total cost of $4,583. Seventy percent (606 tests) were positive and twenty-six percent of positive tests (159 tests) were administered to new patients. Sixty-four percent (101 women) of new patients remained within the DH system for delivery, of which ninety-six percent received prenatal care at DH, thirty-seven percent beginning care in their first trimester of pregnancy.

Medicaid recipients represented ninety-four percent of the new patient deliveries introduced through the free pregnancy testing program. Using DH's expected Medicaid payment per DRG, $434,139 was reimbursed for these deliveries. The resulting margin for the program was $429,556, based on Medicaid reimbursed deliveries minus total cost.

The successful outreach to new patients and introduction of new revenue to DH's integrated public safety-net system confirm the ROI of the free pregnancy testing program. Evaluation of the program continues; by November 2005, we will have analyzed ROI and perinatal outcomes of the 3,542 free pregnancy tests conducted in 2004.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to

(
• Evaluate the return on investment of a barrier-free, no cost pregnancy testing program. (
• Assess the replicability and value of this program for other organizations. (
• Analyze perinatal outcomes associated with a free pregnancy testing program. (
• Identify policy outcomes related to free pregnancy testing.

Keywords: Cost-Effectiveness, Access to Health Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation