PRESS RELEASE

UnitedHealthcare’s Baby Blocks Helps Expectant Mothers in Rhode Island Deliver Healthy Babies

September 23, 2015
  • Expectant mothers who enroll in the online program keep healthy-baby appointments and maintain healthy behaviors throughout pregnancy
  • Interactive incentive program available to Rhode Islanders enrolled in UnitedHealthcare Medicaid plan

Expectant mothers who enroll in UnitedHealthcare Community Plan’s Baby Blocks® interactive incentive program keep healthy-baby appointments and maintain healthy behaviors through their pregnancies, as well as deliver healthy babies.

Baby Blockshelps new moms manage doctor visits and other baby care during pregnancy and the first 15 months of their baby’s life. The interactive toolis available to women covered by UnitedHealthcare Community Plan in Rhode Island and 15 other states. Expectant moms receive incentives for completing prenatal, postpartum and healthy-baby appointments. Users can access Baby Blocks via mobile web application on their iPhones and Android smartphones.

“Baby Blocks is a helpful tool for new and expectant moms, helping them keep up with the numerous prenatal, postpartum and well-child visits,” said Patrice Cooper, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Rhode Island. “UnitedHealthcare is pleased to see the positive impact the Baby Blocks program had on new and expectant mothers’ health, and that of their babies.”

In Rhode Island the infant mortality rate is 6.4 per 1,000 live births, ranking the state 15th, according to United Health Foundation’s 2014 America’s Heath Rankings® report.Baby Blocks is designed to increase safe and healthy pregnancies and deliveries. Since Baby Blocks launched in Rhode Island, 835 babies have been born to Baby Blocks participants, and 516 children followed through to the 15-month well-child visit, and are living healthier lives.1

The program enables users to receive email and text message appointment alerts, connect directly with maternity nurses and earn rewards for keeping the appointments. Rewards include gift cards to retail outlets, and maternity-related items including teething rings, diaper bags and thermometers.

UnitedHealthcare serves 284,000 people in Rhode Island with a network of 16 hospitals and more than 4,500 physicians and other care providers statewide.

About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, military service members, retirees and their families, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 850,000 physicians and care professionals, and 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @myUHC on Twitter.

1UnitedHealthcare Baby Blocks® Program Database.