Increase in Contraceptive Counseling by Primary Care Clinicians After Implementation of One Key Question® at an Urban Community Health Center.

Introduction To provide quality family planning services and reduce racial and socioeconomic disparities in unintended pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes, primary care clinicians should routinely assess women's reproductive health needs and provide patient-centered contraceptive and preconception counseling. One Key Question® asks women if they would like to become pregnant in the next year and prompts clinicians to provide counseling appropriate to each patient. We conducted a pilot study to assess if implementing One Key Question® in the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) of an urban community health center, coupled with brief clinician training, would increase rates of contraceptive and preconception counseling. Methods We incorporated One Key Question® into a new EMR form and provided a brief training to primary care clinicians on reproductive life plan assessment, preconception counseling, and contraception. We surveyed women patients, ages 18-49, after their visit and compared pre- vsersus post-intervention rates of patient-reported contraceptive and preconception counseling. Results After One Key Question® was introduced in the clinic EMR and clinicians underwent brief training on its use, patients reported significantly higher rates of their clinician counseling them about contraception (52% vs. 76%, p = 0.040) and recommending a long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) method (10% vs. 32%, p = 0.035). There were no significant changes in preconception counseling. Discussion After EMR integration of One Key Question® coupled with brief clinician training, rates of contraceptive counseling and LARC recommendations increased in this community health center pilot study. Future research should compare One Key Question® to standard care in a prospective randomized trial.

Religious hospital policies on reproductive care: what do patients want to know?

BACKGROUND: Religious hospitals are a large and growing part of the American healthcare system. Patients who receive obstetric and other reproductive care in religious hospitals may face religiously-based restrictions on the treatment their doctor can provide. Little is known about patients' knowledge or preferences regarding religiously restricted reproductive healthcare. OBJECTIVE(S): We aimed to assess women's preferences for knowing a hospital's religion and religiously based restrictions before deciding where to seek care and the acceptability of a hospital denying miscarriage treatment options for religious reasons, with and without informing the patient that other options may be available. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a national survey of women aged 18-45 years. The sample was recruited from AmeriSpeak, a probability-based research panel of civilian noninstitutionalized adults. Of 2857 women invited to participate, 1430 completed surveys online or over the phone, for a survey response rate of 50.1%. All analyses adjusted for the complex sampling design and were weighted to generate estimates representative of the population of US adult reproductive-age women. We used χ2 tests and multivariable logistic regression to evaluate associations. RESULTS: One third of women aged 18-45 years (34.5%) believe it is somewhat or very important to know a hospital's religion when deciding where to get care, but 80.7% feel it is somewhat or very important to know about a hospital's religious restrictions on care. Being Catholic or attending religious services more frequently does not make one more or less likely to want this information. Compared with Protestant women who do not identify as born-again, women of other religious backgrounds are more likely to consider it important to know a hospital's religious affiliation. These include religious minority women (adjusted odds ratio, 2.17; 95% confidence interval, 1.11-4.27), those who reported no religion/atheist/agnostic (adjusted odds ratio, 2.27; 95% confidence interval, 1.19-4.34), and born-again Protestants (adjusted odds ratio, 2.38; 95% confidence interval, 1.32-4.28). Religious minority women (adjusted odds ratio, 2.36; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-5.51) and those who reported no religion/atheist/agnostic (adjusted odds ratio, 3.16; 95% confidence interval, 1.42-7.04) were more likely to want to know a hospital's restrictions on care. More than two thirds of women find it unacceptable for the hospital to restrict information and treatment options during miscarriage based on religion. Women who attended weekly religious services were significantly more likely to accept such restrictions (adjusted odds ratio, 3.13; 95% confidence interval, 1.70-5.76) and to consider transfer to another site an acceptable solution (adjusted odds ratio, 3.22; 95% confidence interval, 1.69-6.12). The question, "When should a religious hospital be allowed to restrict care based on religion?" was asked, and 52.3% responded never; 16.6%, always; and 31.1%,"under some conditions. CONCLUSION: The vast majority of adult American women of reproductive age want information about a hospital's religious restrictions on care when deciding where to go for obstetrics/gynecology care. Growth in the US Catholic health care sector suggests an increasing need for transparency about these restrictions so that women can make informed decisions and, when needed, seek alternative providers.

Physical Activity and Consumption Patterns of Reproductive-Aged Women by BMI Category.

Objectives Obesity before and during pregnancy is associated with adverse effects for mother and child, but little is known about physical activity and consumption patterns among reproductive-aged women. The goal of this study is to identify behaviors of nonpregnant reproductive-aged women associated with normal weight, overweight, and obesity. Methods Data from the nationally representative National Eating Trends survey (2003-2011) were analyzed, comparing number of days of exercise in a 1-week period and consumption of fruits/vegetables, sugar sweetened beverages (SSB), and concentrated sweets by BMI. Behaviors were compared using analysis of variance and Chi square test across groups. Ordinal logistic regression was used to compare behaviors across groups controlling for demographic factors. Multivariable Poisson regression was used to identify demographic factors associated with behaviors among obese women. Results Among 5941 18-45-year-old women, exercise and fruit/vegetable consumption were associated with healthy weight controlling for demographic factors. Reporting any exercise or fruit/vegetable consumption was associated with decreased odds of overweight or obesity (aOR 0.73, 95% CI 0.64-0.83 and aOR 0.74, 95% CI 0.58-0.95, respectively). Consuming SSBs was associated with increasing BMI category while consuming concentrated sweets was unexpectedly associated with normal weight. Among obese women, being on any diet was associated with increased exercise frequency and fruit/vegetable consumption and decreased SSB consumption. Conclusions for Practice Physical activity and consumption behaviors are associated with weight among reproductive-aged women in ways similar to those in the general population. Promoting exercise and fruit/vegetable consumption has the potential to reduce obesity.

Pre-pregnancy and Early Prenatal Care are Associated with Lower Risk of Ectopic Pregnancy Complications in the Medicaid Population: 2004-08.

BACKGROUND: Ectopic pregnancy causes significant maternal morbidity and mortality. Complications are more common among women with Medicaid or no insurance compared to those with private insurance. It is unknown whether preventive care prior to pregnancy and prenatal care, which are covered by Medicaid, would decrease complications if they were more fully utilised. METHODS: Medicaid claims were used to identify a clinical cohort of women who experienced an ectopic pregnancy during 2004-08 among all female Medicaid enrolees from a large 14-state population, ages 15-44. Diagnosis and procedure codes were used to identify ectopic pregnancies and associated complications. The primary outcomes were complications associated with ectopic pregnancy: blood transfusion, sterilisation, or hospitalisation with length of stay greater than 2 days. Independent variables were documentation of preventive care within 1 year prior to the ectopic pregnancy and prenatal care within 4 months prior. RESULTS: Controlling for race, age, and state of residence, women's risks of any ectopic pregnancy complication were independently higher among those who did not receive any Medicaid-covered preventive care within 1 year before the ectopic pregnancy compared to those who did (RR 1.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09, 1.16), and among those who did not receive any Medicaid-covered prenatal care within 4 months prior, compared to those who did (RR 1.89, 95% CI 1.83, 1.96). CONCLUSIONS: Pre-pregnancy and prenatal care are independently associated with decreased risk of ectopic pregnancy complications among Medicaid beneficiaries.

Fragmentation of Care in Ectopic Pregnancy.

OBJECTIVES: Ectopic pregnancy is an important cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. Women who experience fragmented care may undergo unnecessary delays to diagnosis and treatment. Based on ectopic pregnancy cases observed in clinical practice that raised our concern about fragmentation of care, we designed an exploratory study to describe the number, characteristics, and outcomes of fragmented care among patients with ectopic pregnancy at one urban academic hospital. METHODS: Chart review with descriptive statistics. Fragmented care was defined as a patient being evaluated at an outside facility for possible ectopic pregnancy and transferred, referred, or discharged before receiving care at the study institution. RESULTS: Of 191 women seen for possible or definite ectopic pregnancy during the study period, 42 (22 %) met the study definition of fragmented care. The study was under-powered to observe statistically significant differences across groups, but we found concerning, non-significant trends: patients with fragmented care were more likely to be Medicaid recipients (65.9 vs. 58.8 %) and to experience a complication (23.8 vs. 18.1 %) compared to those with non-fragmented care. Most patients (n = 37) received no identifiable treatment prior to transfer and arrived to the study hospital with no communication to the receiving hospital from the outside provider (n = 34). Nine patients (21 %) presented with ruptured ectopic pregnancies. The fragmentation we observed in our study may contribute to previously identified socio-economic disparities in ectopic pregnancy outcomes. CONCLUSION: If future research confirms these findings, health information exchanges and regional coordination of care may be important strategies for reducing maternal mortality.

Racial and ethnic disparities in short interval pregnancy following delivery in Catholic vs non-Catholic hospitals among California Medicaid enrollees.

OBJECTIVES: We examined the impact of Catholic hospital delivery on short interval pregnancy in the California 2010-2014 Medicaid population. STUDY DESIGN: We used Cox regression to estimate the association between hospital affiliation and short interval pregnancy, adjusting for patient factors. RESULTS: Catholic hospital delivery had increased the risk of pregnancy within 6 months for Black (hazard ratio [HR] 1.11, 95% CI 1.06, 1.17) and Hispanic (HR 1.07, 95% CI 1.05, 1.09) but not for White women (HR 1.02, 95% CI 0.98, 1.05). CONCLUSIONS: Among California women with Medicaid, Catholic hospital delivery was associated with short interval pregnancy only among women of color.

Reproductive care in community health centers: Multi-method evaluation of the Illinois Contraceptive Access Now (ICAN!) demonstration program.

OBJECTIVES: Nearly one-third of low-income women of reproductive age in the U.S. receive care in federally qualified community health centers, but comprehensive reproductive care is not consistently provided. Illinois Contraceptive Access Now (ICAN!) is an initiative addressing the access gap to high-quality contraceptive care with a focus on normalizing reproductive health screening for patients in federally qualified community health centers (FQHCs). STUDY DESIGN: This multi-method program evaluation used the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework, with retrospective and prospective data collection from three Illinois FQHCs who participated as Quality Hubs, and from a Community Advisory Board. We conducted descriptive analysis of patient surveys using the Person-Centered Contraceptive Counseling (PCCC) measure (n = 142); clinician and staff pre-and post-training surveys (n = 210); and Community Advisory Board surveys (n = 8) collecting quantitative and qualitative feedback. We ran logistic regression on claims data from 15- to 49-year-old patients identified as female at birth (n = 103,756). RESULTS: Reach assessment showed patients receiving contraceptive or preconception care increased from 1063 per month in 2020 to 1236 per month in 2021 (16% increase), while general volume increased 2%. Effectiveness showed most patients (78%) described the quality of contraceptive counseling as "excellent" on the PCCC. Adoption assessment showed knowledge increases after clinical training on Modern Contraception (85% pre-training, 95% post-training) and Reproductive Justice (RJ) (58% pre-training, 70% post-training). Implementation assessment found that most Community Advisory Board members felt ICAN! was responsive to community needs. CONCLUSIONS: The ICAN! demonstration year increased provider knowledge and volume of reproductive care at three Illinois FQHCs. IMPLICATIONS: Contraceptive access initiatives that operationalize same day access to birth control methods while training FQHC providers on RJ and modern contraception, show promise on several measures. Early evidence from ICAN! indicates increased reproductive health service provision, as well as increases in provider knowledge of RJ and modern contraceptive care.

Ectopic pregnancy rates in the Medicaid population.

OBJECTIVE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last estimated a national ectopic pregnancy rate in 1992, when it was 1.97% of all reported pregnancies. Since then rates have been reported among privately insured women and regional health care provider populations, ranging from 1.6-2.45%. This study assessed the rate of ectopic pregnancy among Medicaid beneficiaries (New York, California, and Illinois, 2000-03), a previously unstudied population. STUDY DESIGN: We identified Medicaid administrative claims records for inpatient and outpatient encounters with a principal International Classification of Diseases 9th Revision diagnosis code for ectopic pregnancy. We calculated the ectopic pregnancy rate among female beneficiaries aged 15-44 as the number of ectopic pregnancies divided by the number of total pregnancies, which included spontaneous abortions, induced abortions, ectopic pregnancies, and all births. We used Poisson regression to assess the risk of ectopic pregnancy by age and race. RESULTS: Four-year Medicaid ectopic pregnancy rates were 2.38% of pregnancies in New York, 2.07% in California, and 2.43% in Illinois. Risk was higher among black women compared with whites in all states (relative risk, 1.26; 95% confidence interval, 1.25-1.28; P < .0001), and among older women compared with younger women (trend for age, P < .001). CONCLUSION: Medicaid beneficiaries in these 3 states experienced higher rates of ectopic pregnancy than reported for privately insured women nationwide in the same years. Relying on private insurance databases may underestimate ectopic pregnancy's burden in the United States population. Furthermore, within this low-income population racial disparities exist.

Preconception care utilization: Self-report versus claims-based measures among women with Medicaid.

The objective of this study is to compare self-reported preconception care utilization (PCU) among Medicaid-covered births to Medicaid claims. We identified all Medicaid-covered births to women ages 15-45 in 26 states in the year 2012 among the Pregnancy Risk Assessment and Monitoring System (PRAMS) survey and Medicaid Analytic eXtract (MAX) claims data, and identified preconception services in the latter using diagnosis codes published by Health and Human Services' Office of Population Affairs. We fit mixed-effects logistic regression models for the probability of PCU on sociodemographic factors (age, race, and ethnicity) and clinical diagnoses (depression, diabetes, or hypertension), separately for each dataset. Among 652,929 women delivering in MAX, 28.1% received at least one claims-based preconception service while an estimated 23.6% (95% CI 22.1-25.3) of PRAMS respondents reported receiving preconception care. Adjusting for age, chronic diseases, and state, PCU rates in both MAX and PRAMS were higher for non-Hispanic Black versus non-Hispanic White women (OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.49-1.54 and OR 2.05, 95% CI 1.60-2.62, respectively). Adjusting for differences in age, race and ethnicity, and state, PCU rates were higher for patients with diabetes (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.29-1.40 and OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.16-2.85) or hypertension (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.18-1.27 and OR 1.85, 95% CI 1.41-2.44). While Hispanic and Asian women were also more likely to report PCU than their non-Hispanic White counterparts (OR 2.07, 95% CI 1.53-2.80 and OR 3.37, 95% CI 2.28-4.98), they were less likely to have received it (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.73-0.75 and OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.63-0.67). In conclusion, comparing self-report to claims measures of PCU, we found similar trends in the differences between non-Hispanic Black and White women, and between those with vs. without diabetes and hypertension. However, the two data sources differed in trends in other racial/ethnic groups (differences between Hispanic vs. non-Hispanic White women, and between Asian vs. non-Hispanic White women), and in those with vs. without depression. This suggests that while Medicaid claims can be a useful tool for studying preconception care, they may miss certain types of care among some sub-groups of the population or be subject to reporting differences that are hard to surmise. Both data sets have potential benefits and drawbacks as research tools.

Barriers to abortion provision in primary care in New England, 2019-2020: A qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess barriers to and facilitators of abortion provision among abortion-trained primary care providers. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted 21 qualitative in-depth interviews with 20 abortion-trained family physicians and one internal medicine physician in five New England states. We dual-coded interviews, using a consensus method to agree upon final coding schema. Through iterative dialogue, using an inductive content analysis approach, we synthesized the themes and identified patterns within each domain of inquiry. RESULTS: The most commonly reported barriers were a lack of organizational support, the Hyde Amendment, which prevents the use of federal funds for most abortion care, and the mifepristone Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy, a federal regulation which prohibits routine mifepristone pharmacy dispensing. The logistical barriers created by these policies require cooperation from additional stakeholders, creating more opportunities for abortion stigma and moral opposition to arise. Other salient barriers included inter-specialty tension (particularly with obstetrician-gynecologists), perceived need for pre-abortion ultrasound, absence of a clinician support network, and lack of knowledge of existing resources for establishing abortion care in primary care. CONCLUSIONS: Increased abortion provision in primary care is one of many necessary responses to the human rights crisis produced by the Dobbs decision. Eliminating the Hyde Amendment and ending federal regulations restricting pharmacy dispensing of mifepristone are key interventions to address barriers to primary care abortion provision. Building interspecialty partnerships between family medicine and OB/GYN and spreading awareness of the evidence-based ultrasound-as-needed protocol and other educational resources are also likely to increase primary care abortion access. IMPLICATIONS: By exploring barriers to and facilitators of primary care abortion provision, this study outlines a targeted approach to support increased access to abortions. In states with legal abortion post-Roe, it is important that motivated and trained primary care providers can offer abortions, rather than referring patients to overburdened specialty clinics.

Obstetrician-gynecologists, religious institutions, and conflicts regarding patient-care policies.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess how common it is for obstetrician-gynecologists who work in religiously affiliated hospitals or practices to experience conflict with those institutions over religiously based policies for patient care and to identify the proportion of obstetrician-gynecologists who report that their hospitals restrict their options for the treatment of ectopic pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN: We mailed a survey to a nationally representative sample of 1800 practicing obstetrician-gynecologists. RESULTS: The response rate was 66%. Among obstetrician-gynecologists who practice in religiously affiliated institutions, 37% have had a conflict with their institution over religiously based policies. These conflicts are most common in Catholic institutions (52%; adjusted odds ratio, 8.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.7-46.2). Few reported that their options for treating ectopic pregnancy are limited by their hospitals (2.5% at non-Catholic institutions vs 5.5% at Catholic institutions; P = .07). CONCLUSION: Many obstetrician-gynecologists who practice in religiously affiliated institutions have had conflicts over religiously based policies. The effects of these conflicts on patient care and outcomes are an important area for future research.

Facilitators of and Barriers to Successful Implementation of the One Key Question® Pregnancy Intention Screening Tool.

Background: One Key Question® (OKQ) is a tool that embeds a patient-centered screening into routine visits with the goal of making pregnancy intention screening universal, but widespread implementation has not yet been adopted. We aimed to explore the barriers and facilitators of OKQ implementation to better understand how to best implement the tool across different settings. Methods: We invited staff and clinicians from one obstetrics and gynecology clinic and one family medicine clinic, which previously implemented OKQ, to complete surveys and qualitative interviews about their experiences with the tool. The interview guide and thematic analysis of the interview transcripts were informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Main Findings: Major facilitators of OKQ implementation are the simplicity of the tool, engagement of clinic leadership, and compatibility between the perceived goals of the tool and those of practice staff and clinicians. Although participants indicated that OKQ had a minimal impact on clinic workflow during its implementation, preimplementation time concerns were a major barrier to implementation in both clinics. Barriers seen in the family medicine practice included OKQ distracting from the visit agenda, and concerns about the OKQ gold standard protocol of screening each patient at every visit. Participants even suggested asking OKQ only during annual check-up appointments. Conclusions: The perceived alignment between the tool's goals and those of clinic stakeholders was an important facilitator of OKQ implementation success. However, characteristics of the clinic setting, such as competing medical priorities and time constraints, influenced initial attitudes toward the feasibility of the intervention. Clinical Trial Registration Number: NCT03947788.

Preconception care and severe maternal morbidity in the United States.

BACKGROUND: In the United States, approximately 52,000 women per year (accounting for 1.46% of births) experience severe maternal morbidity, which is defined as a complication that causes significant maternal harm or risk of death. It disproportionately affects women from racial or ethnic minorities, people with chronic diseases, and those with Medicaid or no insurance. Preconception care has been hailed as a strategy to improve pregnancy outcomes and reduce disparities, but its broad benefits for maternal outcomes have not been demonstrated. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to measure the association between preconception care and the odds of severe maternal morbidity among women with Medicaid. STUDY DESIGN: This is a secondary analysis of Medicaid claims using the Medicaid Analytic Extract files (2010-2012). We used the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes, published by the US Office of Population Affairs' Quality Family Planning program to define 7 domains of preconception care. The primary outcome was maternal death within 12 weeks of delivery or severe maternal morbidity during birth hospitalization, defined by the presence of any diagnosis or procedure on the severe maternal morbidity International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision code list from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Because this list may overestimate severe maternal morbidity by counting any blood transfusion, our secondary outcome used the same code list but without transfusion. We reviewed care in the year before conception and used logistic regression to estimate the association between each domain and severe maternal morbidity for all births to women enrolled in Medicaid and aged 15 to 45 years with births during 2012. We performed a subgroup analysis for women with chronic disease (kidney disease, hypertension, or diabetes). RESULTS: Severe maternal morbidity or death occurred in 26,285 births (1.74%) when including blood transfusions and 9,481 births (0.63%) when excluding transfusions. Receiving contraceptive services in the year before conception was associated with decreased odds of severe maternal morbidity (adjusted odds ratio, 0.92; 95% confidence interval, 0.88-0.95) and pregnancy test services were associated with increased odds (adjusted odds ratio, 1.08; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.14). In the primary analysis, no significant associations were observed for other preconception care domains. Among those women with at least 1 chronic disease, contraceptive care (adjusted odds ratio, 0.84; 95% confidence interval, 0.75-0.95) and routine physical or gynecologic exams (adjusted odds ratio, 0.79; 95% confidence interval, 0.71-0.88) were associated with decreased odds of severe maternal morbidity. Similar associations were found for severe maternal morbidity when excluding blood transfusion. CONCLUSIONS: Contraceptive services in the year before conception and routine exams for women with chronic disease are associated with decreased odds of severe maternal morbidity or death for Medicaid enrollees.

Socioeconomic disparities in ectopic pregnancy: predictors of adverse outcomes from Illinois hospital-based care, 2000-2006.

This study aimed to identify the incidence of adverse outcomes from ectopic pregnancy hospital care in Illinois (2000-2006), and assess patient, neighborhood, hospital and time factors associated with these outcomes. Discharge data from Illinois hospitals were retrospectively analyzed and ectopic pregnancies were identified using DRG and ICD-9 diagnosis codes. The primary outcome was any complication identified by ICD-9 procedure codes. Secondary outcomes were length of stay and discharge status. Residential zip codes were linked to 2000 U.S. Census data to identify patients' neighborhood demographics. Logistic regression was used to identify risk factors for adverse outcomes. Independent variables were insurance status, age, co-morbidities, neighborhood demographics, hospital type, hospital ectopic pregnancy service volume, and year of discharge. Of 13,007 ectopic pregnancy hospitalizations, 7.4% involved at least one complication identified by procedure codes. Hospitalizations covered by Medicare (for women with chronic disabilities) were more likely than those with other source or without insurance to result in surgical sterilization (OR 4.7, P = 0.012). Hospitalization longer than 2 days was more likely with Medicaid (OR 1.46, P < 0.0005) or no insurance (OR 1.35, P < 0.0005) versus other payers, and among church-operated versus secular hospitals (OR 1.21, P < 0.0005). Compared to public hospitals, private hospitals had lower rates of complications (OR 0.39, P < 0.0005) and of hospitalization longer than 2 days (OR 0.57, P < 0.0005). With time, hospitalizations became shorter (OR 0.53, P < 0.0005) and complication rates higher (OR 1.33, P = 0.024). Ectopic pregnancy patients with Medicaid, Medicare or no insurance, and those admitted to public or religious hospitals, were more likely to experience adverse outcomes.

Mifepristone restrictions and primary care: Breaking the cycle of stigma through a learning collaborative model in the United States.

Despite its safety record, mifepristone is subject to a highly restrictive set of regulatory measures through the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) by the US Food and Drug Administration. We argue that these restrictions both reflect and perpetuate a cycle of abortion stigma, creating particular barriers to mifepristone use in primary care settings where communities that historically experience barriers to care can most easily access reproductive health services. Through qualitative interviews with Illinois primary care clinicians, we discovered how the REMS heightens institutional anxiety over implementation of mifepristone use. To address this, we created ExPAND Mifepristone, a learning collaborative targeting institutional anxiety and logistical barriers to mifepristone use. The learning collaborative model holds high potential to mitigate institutional barriers to mifepristone use by increasing providers' self-efficacy to identify, address, and overcome institutional fears. Until the REMS is fully repealed, learning collaboratives constitute a promising tool to combat the practical and psychological barriers to mifepristone use that these restrictions currently pose.

Expanding access to medication abortion through pharmacy dispensing of mifepristone: Primary care perspectives from Illinois.

OBJECTIVE: Medication abortion is safe and effective, yet access is limited by a strict Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) that prohibits pharmacy dispensing of mifepristone. Given the ability of primary care providers (PCPs) to expand medication abortion access, we assessed PCP perspectives on how lifting the mifepristone REMS would affect the provision of medication abortion in primary care. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a qualitative study of PCPs and administrators in Illinois with experience or interest in providing medication abortion care at their practice. The final sample (N=19) consisted of seven family medicine physicians, three nurse practitioners, four certified nurse midwives, and five administrators. We queried participants on how removing the REMS to allow pharmacy dispensing of mifepristone would affect their ability to provide medication abortion. We conducted interviews via telephone and used ATLAS.ti to manage our transcripts; we analyzed these data for major themes regarding pharmacy dispensing. RESULTS: Primary care providers expressed support for pharmacy dispensing due to its ability to help normalize medication abortion, reduce implementation barriers in primary care, and expand abortion access. Further challenges to address if the REMS restrictions are lifted include federal funding restrictions on abortion, concerns about unsupervised mifepristone use, and pharmacy cooperation. CONCLUSION: Removing the mifepristone REMS to allow pharmacy dispensing could help normalize medication abortion care, facilitate provision in primary care, and address disparities in abortion access. IMPLICATIONS: Our findings illuminate novel benefits of removing the mifepristone REMS and highlight methods to promote successful implementation of pharmacy dispensing. Combined with prior literature, these results support prompt reevaluation and removal of the REMS to align medication abortion care with evidence-based practices.

Closing the contraceptive coverage gap: A multipronged approach to advancing reproductive equity in Illinois.

Despite Illinois' progress in the area of reproductive health, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, young people, and people with low resources face persistent barriers to high-quality contraceptive care and experience inequities in reproductive health outcomes. Illinois Contraceptive Access Now (ICAN!) is a 5-year initiative that aims to improve the quality and coverage of contraceptive care at community health centers statewide. By leveraging state policies, a robust community health infrastructure, digital innovation, and with a focus on sustainability, ICAN! seeks to cut the "contraceptive coverage gap" in Illinois in half by 2025. As Illinois democratizes access to contraceptive care, this initiative can serve as a model for advancing reproductive equity nationwide.

Denial of tubal ligation in religious hospitals: Consumer attitudes when insurance limits hospital choice.

OBJECTIVES: Postpartum tubal ligation provides demonstrated benefits to women, but access to this procedure is threatened by restrictions at Catholic healthcare institutions. We aimed to understand how insured employees assign responsibility for postpartum sterilization denial and how it impacts their view of the quality of care provided. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a nationally representative, cross-sectional survey of employees at Standard and Poor's (S&P) 500 companies utilizing a dual panel drawn from Amerispeak, a probability-based research panel, and a non-probability panel. Respondents answered questions about a scenario of a woman denied a tubal ligation due to Catholic hospital policy when her employer-sponsored insurance provided no other hospital choices. Of 1113 eligible panel members, 1001 (90%) completed the survey. Weighted analysis accounted for complex survey design. RESULTS: In response to the tubal ligation denial scenario, 42% of respondents rated hospital quality-of-care as poor or very poor. Sixty percent felt that something should have been done differently, with about half assigning responsibility to the religiously-affiliated hospital for not providing the procedure and half to the insurance company for not including secular hospitals in its network. Finding employers/insurance companies responsible was more common with higher education (RRR = 3.17; 95% CI: 1.58-6.33 some college; RRR = 4.26; 95% CI: 2.10-8.62 bachelor's or more) and less common among non-white respondents (RRR = 0.54; 95% CI: 0.31-0.97). Three quarters of respondents thought the employer should have intervened. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of insured employees do not think women should be denied postpartum tubal ligation. They assign hospitals, insurers, and employers responsibility to remove barriers to care. IMPLICATIONS: Most people who receive health insurance through a large employer disapprove of Catholic hospital restrictions when the patient's insurance restricts her hospital choice. To improve access to comprehensive reproductive care, employers and insurers should assure employees have in-network coverage of hospitals without religious restrictions.