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PRENATAL CARE a WOMAN’S GUIDE Dear Member, Congratulations!

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PRENATAL CARE a WOMAN’S GUIDE Dear Member, Congratulations! PRENATAL CARE A WOMAN’S GUIDE Dear Member, Congratulations! On behalf of all of us at Tufts Health Plan, congratulations on your pregnancy! You have received this guide because you’ve already taken an important first step toward delivering a healthy baby — you’ve begun prenatal care. Because you have so much to think about, particularly if you’re a first-time mother-to-be, we’d like to try to answer some questions you might have. This prenatal guide is your handy reference to the coverage, assistance and suggestions Tufts Health Plan provides during and immediately after your pregnancy. Plus, it is designed to guide you through some of the ups and downs of pregnancy and addresses things like what to expect from your doctors’ visits and how to stay healthy during your pregnancy. The following pages contain some resources and important information that you may find helpful during your pregnancy, but please do not consider this guide to be your only resource. If you have any health concerns during your pregnancy, please contact your doctor. If you want to learn more about your pregnancy, see our list of recommended books and websites at the back of this guide. Sincerely, Claire Levesque, MD Chief Medical Officer Commercial Products The enclosed information is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to be medical advice or to replace the care that is being prescribed for you by your health care providers. We encourage you to share this information with your health care providers and always seek their advice if you have questions about your pregnancy. It is important to know what your maternity coverage and benefits are early in your pregnancy. Call Tufts Health Plan Member Services at the number on your member ID card to find out what tests, labs, providers, and hospitals are covered under your plan. 1 THE BASICS OF YOUR COVERAGE — We want you to remain active and healthy throughout your pregnancy. And we want to make it as easy and simple as possible for you to get the care you need when you need it. From the day you find out you’re pregnant to the day you put your new baby in a car seat for the first time to ride home from the hospital, we’re here to help. On most plans, we’ll even cover you for a visit from a registered nurse to check on you and your baby in your home. During this visit the registered nurse can help answer any questions you might have. Below are some of the important things you should know about your maternity benefits. Please note that your benefits may vary depending on the specific coverage you have. If you have questions or are unsure about your specific coverage, please talk to your employer, consult your benefit document or call Tufts Health Plan Member Services at the number on your member ID card. YOUR HOSPITAL STAY COVERING MATERNITY CARE There are federal and state laws WHEN TRAVELING OUT OF regarding insurance coverage THE SERVICE AREA for minimum lengths of stay at If you are a pregnant HMO or EPO hospitals for women who have member and are traveling outside given birth. Tufts Health Plan the Tufts Health Plan service area, covers: Tufts Health Plan will cover the cost of an unexpected preterm delivery • 48 hours of inpatient care through 35 completed weeks of following a vaginal delivery. pregnancy. Tufts Health Plan does • 96 hours of inpatient care not cover delivery from out-of- following a cesarean delivery. network providers after 36 weeks of pregnancy. HMO and EPO You may be preregistered to members should remain in their deliver at the hospital that your service area once they begin their obstetrical care provider is affiliated 36th week of pregnancy to ensure with. Please consult your benefit coverage. Ask your obstetrical care document for specific details, or provider if you’re not sure when call Tufts Health Plan Member that will be. This also applies to POS Services at the number on your and PPO members for coverage at member ID card. the authorized or in-network level of benefits. 2 ENROLLING YOUR NEW BABY — Please remember that your newborn is not automatically enrolled in Tufts Health Plan. You’ll need to add the baby to your coverage within 30 days of birth by calling Member Services or contacting your employer. Also, once you have chosen a pediatrician for your baby, please let us know so that we can update our records. ROUTINE OBSTETRICAL CARE A healthy baby starts with a healthy you — that’s why we provide coverage for routine prenatal and postpartum obstetrical care. Routine visits to your obstetrical care provider can help keep you healthy and safeguard you against serious problems during your pregnancy. In most cases, you won’t need a referral from your primary care provider (PCP) to visit your obstetrical care provider. On most plans, these routine prenatal/postpartum office visits should be covered in full without any cost share to you. Ask your employer, consult your benefit document or call Tufts Health Plan Member Services at the number on your member ID card if you’d like to learn more. VISITING YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER DURING PREGNANCY Pregnancy can be an exciting time, and you may have a lot of questions as you progress through each stage — especially if this is your first pregnancy. As long as you’re receiving routine prenatal care, you have the best possible resources to get your questions answered and your concerns addressed: your doctor, nurse practitioner or nurse-midwife. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about how you’re feeling physically, mentally or emotionally. Your doctor, nurse practitioner or nurse-midwife is a health care professional who can answer your questions — even the ones you might forget to ask! Let your obstetrical care provider put your mind at ease and help you learn what to expect. It’s important to choose an obstetrical care provider that you’re comfortable with. You’ll be seeing a lot of each other, so find someone you can talk to and be open with. 3 HOW OFTEN WILL YOU SEE YOUR be relevant to the progression of OBSTETRICAL CARE PROVIDER? your pregnancy. Don’t let these As a general rule, if you’re not discussions worry you. Be honest experiencing any complications and thorough. All the information with your pregnancy, you should you share with your provider is see your obstetrical care provider confidential. Remember that he or every four weeks through your 28th she is asking for this information week of pregnancy. After that, visits to provide the best care for you should be every two to three weeks and your baby. You’ll also have until your 36th week of pregnancy. routine blood tests and screenings Starting with your 36th week, you for certain conditions. You’ll get should see your provider weekly. information about proper exercise During routine visits, you should and nutrition for pregnant women, expect the following: as well as information on alcohol and substance abuse, quitting • Blood pressure check. smoking and HIV/AIDS counseling. • Weight measurement. EARLY PREGNANCY • Uterine size measurement. This is a time when you’re getting • Fetal age determination. acquainted with your obstetrical • Fetal heart tones assessment care provider and discussing (beginning at 10-12 weeks). physical and emotional changes. Your provider will discuss the • Cervical exam (at the first visit benefits and risks of screenings and and in your final weeks). diagnostic tests for genetic and Your obstetrical care provider structural abnormalities to assess will have plenty of information fetal development, as well as any to cover with you. At every visit, other tests to ensure a healthy you’ll learn something new about pregnancy. Based on your history, yourself and/or your baby, as well your health care team may expand as what care options you have. The with referrals to a nutritionist, following information details some high-risk pregnancy specialist, of what you’ll discuss with your physical therapist or behavioral provider and what tests you’ll have health consultant. This is also when during the various stages of your you will review the timing of your pregnancy. prenatal visits; you will be seen more often the closer you get to IN THE BEGINNING delivery. If you have any concerns Your obstetrical care provider will about your job, this is a good time want to know about your personal to discuss them with your employer health history — what your diet and work on a plan to prepare is like, what illnesses you have for your absence. You will also be had, how much you exercise and encouraged to tour the hospital what you do for a living, as well where you will deliver and discuss as a family history of birth defects what childbirth education classes or inherited diseases that may you may want to participate in. 4 26–28 WEEKS Your baby is growing bigger every day. At this time, you’ll take a blood test to screen for diabetes in pregnancy and to check the level of iron in your blood. If your blood type is Rh negative, talk to your provider about what to expect. Finally, your provider will talk to you about choosing a pediatrician for your baby. Before you know it, you’ll be taking your new baby to his or her pediatrician for regular checkups and vaccinations. 28–30 WEEKS Your baby is now getting more active. It’s time to start childbirth education classes. Remember, most members are eligible to receive reimbursement from Tufts Health Plan for childbirth classes provided by a licensed professional, a certified childbirth educator or a certified lactation consultant.
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