Every Once in a While … We Get Questions
Every so often, we get a question from a reader that begs for further investigation.
Such was the case recently when a loyal reader of our weekly health newsletter noted that a story we ran on research related to maternal deaths appeared to contradict the findings of a recent study by the Department of Health and Human Services.
“Can you advise why each article seems to oppose the other?” she asked.
For the definitive answer, we reached out to the Office on Women’s Health at HHS. They told us the following:
“The main difference is that the HHS JAMA study focused on in-hospital, delivery-related deaths and complications at the time of delivery, whereas the Flezar study focused on maternal deaths through one year post-delivery.
“The HHS JAMA study analyzed data from 2008 to 2021 using a large nationally representative, standardized inpatient database and found a significant decrease (57%) in delivery-related deaths for all racial, ethnic, payor and age groups over the 13-year study period. Mortality for American Indian women decreased 92%, Asian women decreased 73%, Black women decreased 76%, Hispanic women decreased 60%, Pacific Islander women decreased 79% and White women decreased 40% during the study period.
“This decline in deaths during delivery hospitalization likely demonstrates the impact of national and local strategies to improve the quality of care by hospitals during delivery-related hospitalizations. This includes HHS quality improvement activities such as state Perinatal Quality Collaboratives and the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health, and ties into the administration’s commitment to addressing the maternal health crisis.
“The Flezar study estimated the risk of maternal deaths that may have occurred by state and race up to one year post-delivery from 1999 to 2019. The Flezar studied maternal ‘deaths that occurred up to one year after the end of pregnancy’ and found maternal mortality is higher among ‘all racial and ethnic groups in the US, American Indian and Alaska Native and Black individuals were at increased risk in several states.’
“In summary, the studies used two different data sets, two different defined timeframes, with different data sources/statistical modeling to determine these outcomes.”
If our reporting prompts a question in your mind, please don’t hesitate to contact The Well News at [email protected] and we’ll be happy to get an answer for you as well.
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