Maternity Care at a Crossroads: It’s Time to Reimagine How We Support Mothers

This is the fourth and final post in our series on the maternity ward closures crisis. We’ve explored the systemic causes, the real-life consequences, and the innovative care models that offer hope. Now, we shift our focus to what matters most: taking action.

America’s maternity care system is at a turning point. As labor and delivery units continue to close, especially in rural and underserved communities, it’s becoming clear that traditional models alone can’t meet the needs of today’s mothers.

The time to act is now. Here’s how we move forward together.

What Needs to Happen Next in Maternal Healthcare

Healthcare Organizations: Embrace Virtual Care and Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM)

To ensure continuity of care beyond hospital walls, healthcare systems must scale up Remote Patient Monitoring for pregnancy and postpartum. RPM enables providers to monitor key indicators like blood pressure, glucose, and mood, detecting complications early and reducing hospital readmissions.

If you missed it, we covered RPM’s impact in part three of this series, showing how it can save lives in care deserts.

Tech Innovators: Design Inclusive, Community-Centered Solutions

There’s an urgent need for maternal health tech solutions that meet patients where they are, both geographically and digitally. This means:

  • Mobile-first tools for populations with limited broadband
  • Multilingual interfaces and culturally competent design
  • Features that integrate with provider workflows and local clinics
  • Payment models that align incentives across industry stakeholders

Policymakers: Fund and Protect Rural Maternity Infrastructure

Rural hospitals are struggling to keep obstetric services alive. What they need is stable support including:

  • Expanding Medicaid reimbursement for prenatal, delivery, and postpartum care
  • Backing hybrid care models that combine virtual and in-person access
  • Investing in training and retention for rural OB-GYN and midwifery providers

For a state-by-state look at policy developments in telehealth and reimbursement, visit the Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP).

Communities & Care Teams: Advocate for Hybrid Models of Maternal Care

True impact happens at the community level. We must build trusted local partnerships, empower doulas and home visitors, and support hybrid models that blend digital tools with on-the-ground support.

Whether you’re a nurse, midwife, CHW, or family advocate. Your voice matters. Change doesn’t just start in policy meetings. It starts in clinics, churches, living rooms, and group prenatal visits.

Our Commitment at Marani

At Marani, we’re dedicated to improving maternal health outcomes by delivering accessible, tech-enabled, patient-centered care. From early pregnancy to postpartum recovery, we believe every pregnant person deserves real-time support wherever they are.

We’re here to work with:

  • Providers looking to expand RPM programs
  • Payers and policymakers focused on outcomes and equity
  • Startups and digital health teams committed to building maternal innovation with purpose
  • Employers looking to expand maternity benefits for their staff members
  • Government agencies looking to support the troops with covered maternity care benefits