Do Tank helped Missouri leaders design a statewide blueprint for transitioning from fragmented maternity services to a coordinated, value-based care model. The resulting framework established a practical system architecture for integrating clinical, behavioral, and social support — enabling policymakers and providers to pursue more equitable and sustainable maternal health strategies.
Maternal care delivery in Missouri historically operated through disconnected programs addressing clinical and social needs separately. Communication gaps between hospitals, health homes, and community organizations were particularly evident during the postpartum period, increasing risk for mothers and infants. State leaders sought a more coordinated model that could improve continuity, support workforce sustainability, and align financial incentives with better outcomes.
Do Tank’s Role:
- Designed the statewide discovery and strategy framework for integrated maternal care
- Convened and facilitated a cross-sector value-based care workgroup
- Conducted field research and site visits across diverse health home models
- Structured strategic prioritization using a Keep–Improve–Start–Stop methodology
- Authored the integrated care blueprint to guide policy and program implementation
Over several months, Do Tank worked with state agencies, provider organizations, and community partners to translate field insight into a cohesive system redesign strategy. Interviews and site visits identified practical lessons from existing integrated care efforts, while facilitated workshops helped stakeholders define shared design criteria for future models.
The work was organized around four core system questions: who delivers care, what services are required, where coordination should occur, and how financing structures can support sustainability. Through structured decision-making exercises, leaders explored trade-offs and clarified priorities that balanced clinical goals with operational realities and funding constraints.
The project produced a statewide blueprint outlining a hub-and-spoke model for integrated maternal care. This framework provided actionable guidance on workforce roles, referral coordination, partnership structures, and financing approaches needed to support continuous care from pregnancy through postpartum recovery.
Recommendations included extending postpartum care standards, strengthening coordination infrastructure, and establishing capacity-building funds for community organizations. The strategy equipped state leaders with a clearer pathway to reduce fragmentation, align stakeholders, and build a more resilient maternal health ecosystem.
By centering the patient journey and braiding social supports directly into the clinical workflow, this work demonstrated that integration is not just an administrative update, but a clinical necessity. By having diverse stakeholders align on a single, actionable vision for Missouri’s future, this work moved beyond identifying problems to building the actual architecture for a more equitable and financially sustainable healthcare ecosystem.