Infant Mortality Research Partnership

Since 2016, the Ohio Department of Medicaid and the Ohio Department of Higher Education have partnered with The Ohio State University and the Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center to conduct rigorous research aimed at improving outcomes for underserved populations. Across five phases, the team has developed geospatial analytics tools, predictive models, clinical risk calculators, and an Epic‑integrated toolkit to better identify and support high‑risk individuals and communities. Key accomplishments include: Geospatial analytics tool enabling state and local agencies to target resources. Predictive models for infant mortality, preterm birth (PTB), and severe maternal morbidity (SMM). PTB and SMM risk calculators for shared decision-making, informed by a clinical trial. Epic‑integrated Medicaid Perinatal Risk Toolkit (MPRT), including the PTB and SMM calculators and PRAF‑EHR, now implemented in 17 hospitals statewide. Current work includes evaluating the postpartum SMM risk calculator in clinical practice and developing predictive models for postpartum visit completion, postpartum depression, and postpartum opioid use disorder treatment.