Maternal Health Overview

In 2017, National Public Radio (NPR) and ProPublica Lost Mothers series forever changed the landscape of maternal morbidity and mortality conversations. Suddenly, maternal mortality data had a face, had a family, and had captured the media by storm. In short order, the New York Times, USA Today, and other national publications were also reporting on maternal mortality. For years, those working in obstetrics and obstetrical care had been signaling the alarm related to increased maternal mortality rates. And as the Lost Mothers series continued to introduce the country to mothers who had died during or after childbirth, a similarity began to take shape: many more of these mothers who were dying were Black or Brown women. Since that time, there have been many academics, clinicians, and community members seeking to bring awareness, recognition, and funding to support research and community-led initiatives to reduce the disparities in maternal death. One of these areas is that of Social Determinants of Health (SDOH).

Z Codes

There’s quite a bit of discussion surrounding Z Codes these days. What is a Z Code? Well, technically, Z Codes are ICD-10 Codes that can improve the accuracy of medically necessary treatment and contact with healthcare. And there are a lot. Z Codes cover Z00 – Z99.

Z Codes for Social Determinants of Health

Did you know that as of October 1, 2021, there are 109 Z-codes available for Z Codes 55-65? One of the challenges organizations find with Z code documentation for SDOH is the number of Z codes and various screening tools available. Screening for SDOH is a skill that must be practiced in a sensitive and HIPAA-compliant manner and followed through with a structured plan for referrals. If you have not had the opportunity to view SDOH categories lately, here is the most up-to-date listing. Which Z-codes do you find most regularly in your documentation?

Z55 – Problems related to education and literacy.
Z56 – Problems related to employment and unemployment
Z57 – Occupational exposure to risk factors
Z58 – Problems related to physical environment
Z59 – Problems related to housing and economic circumstances
Z60 – Problems related to social environment
Z62 – Problems related to upbringing
Z63 – Other problems related to primary support group, including family circumstances
Z64 – Problems related to certain psychosocial circumstances
Z65 – Problems related to other psychosocial circumstances

Within these categories are additional discrete health determinants. Let’s use Z58, Problems related to Physical Environment. There are 19 sub-elements within this code, including homelessness (sheltered and unsheltered), food insecurity, extreme poverty, and discord with landlord/neighbor, to name a few. Problems related to Physical Environment are one of the most utilized Z-Codes we find reported within the NPIC database.

In 2019, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) released the report Integrating Social Care into the Deliveryof Health Care: Moving Upstream toImprove the Nation’s Health. This report highlights the upstream effects of housing, transportation, food, and upbringing (to name a few) on the health of individuals and communities, and those impacts on the delivery of healthcare and outcomes. One of the key takeaways of this report is the ability of hospitals and health agencies to integrate social care into health care. The Consensus Guidelines recommended five (5) activities healthcare organizations can weave into their SDOH framework:

• Awareness
• Adjustment
• Assistance
• Alignment
• Advocacy

Remember the rural health discussion last week, and transportation challenges? Let’s use that example to work through this framework:

Awareness: Have you asked your patient about transportation to and from appointments? How long is the drive? Is there reliable transportation even available?

Adjustment: Is there a way to reduce the need for in-person appointments? Is Telehealth an option? If not an option, how can providers adjust or refer to ensure the patient is receiving the care needed?

Assistance: Is there funding available for transportation? Medicaid vouchers? Access to local programs to support the internet or other communication devices needed to interact with telehealth?

Alignment: Opportunities for hospitals or systems to invest in ride-share or other transportation programs? Or partnerships with cable or satellite providers to set up connections for telehealth.

Advocacy: Creating connections with local/regional/state entities to create and support programs that can provide transportation access or availability of healthcare to remote or underserved regions.

So, how can we make a difference and help to tell the story of unmet social needs of pregnant patients in our communities, and connect these stories through data?

• Select a few social determinants of health that you and your organization want to focus on. Do your teams know what a Z Code even is? When was the last time you explored the Z Codes your hospital collects? And beyond that, stratified them by race and ethnicity?
• Sometimes, 109 codes can feel overwhelming to track. Are there specific unmet social needs that are more pervasive or create barriers to accessing healthcare? Pick 3 and focus on those to start.
• Involve your community in discussions surrounding what SDOH you want to begin tracking. “Never about me without me” is a frequent statement used by patient advocacy groups. When was the last time you asked your patients about what their needs are?

Social Determinants and Healthcare Teams

Let’s not forget your care teams and staff. When was the last time you surveyed YOUR HEALTHCARE TEAMS about their own unmet social needs? How many buses do your team members take to get to work? Have they been anxious about paying rent? Utilities? Have they had to make decisions about whether to buy food or medicine with their paycheck? You may assume that because your employees work in a hospital that they automatically have the resources to live and thrive in the community. Your teams take care of your patients’ needs every day. If you are not surveying your teams on SDOH and unmet social needs, you are not caring for your entire community.

Remember, caring for pregnant patients and assessing for their social needs requires a strong and resourceful healthcare team, whose own social needs can be assessed just as vigorously. It takes a village to care for our communities. And our own healthcare communities.