New Excellus BlueCross BlueShield infographic discourages scheduling early deliveries

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Excellus BCBS early delivery infographic

ROCHESTER, NY (05/27/2015)(readMedia)-- One-third of babies born in 2013 in upstate New York were delivered before they were full term, and a third of them were delivered by cesarean section, according to a new Excellus BlueCross BlueShield infographic discouraging early elective deliveries.

"There may be medical reasons for inducing labor or scheduling a C-section before 39 weeks, the minimum gestational age to be considered full term, but convenience isn't one of them," said Matthew Bartels, M.D., Excellus BlueCross BlueShield medical director for clinical quality.

The Excellus BlueCross BlueShield infographic highlights significant differences in health outcomes between babies born early term between 37 weeks and 38 weeks, and those born full term at 39 weeks to 41 weeks.

"A baby's brain will grow almost a third of its total weight between weeks 35 and 39," said Bartels.

During weeks 37 and 38 of a baby's development:

  • The baby may still be developing the ability to swallow and suck. Babies born at this time are at higher risk of having feeding problems.
  • The lungs may not be fully developed. The odds of an early term baby needing respiratory support are almost double that of a full-term baby.
  • The odds of the baby being admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit are more than 60 percent higher in early term babies than full-term babies.

In the Finger Lakes Region, 21.0 percent of early term babies were born at 37 weeks or 38 weeks. That figure is lower than the percentage of early term babies born at weeks 37 or 38 across upstate New York (22.6 percent), and the percentage of early term babies born at weeks 37 or 38 statewide (23.8 percent). In Monroe County alone, 31.4 percent of early term babies were delivered by C-section.

In the Central New York Region, 21.1 percent of early-term babies were born at 37 weeks or 38 weeks. That figure is lower than the percentage of early-term babies born at weeks 37 or 38 across upstate New York (22.6 percent), and the percentage of early term babies born at weeks 37 or 38 statewide (23.8 percent). In Onondaga County alone, 31.9 percent of early term babies were delivered by C-section.

In the Southern Tier Region, 21.7 percent of early term babies were born at 37 weeks or 38 weeks. That figure is lower than the percentage of early term babies born at weeks 37 or 38 across upstate New York (22.6 percent), and the percentage of early term babies born at weeks 37 or 38 statewide (23.8 percent). In Broome County alone, 36.2 percent of early term babies were delivered by C-section.

In the Utica/Rome/North Country Region, 21.8 percent of early term babies were born at 37 weeks or 38 weeks. That figure is lower than the percentage of early term babies born at weeks 37 or 38 across upstate New York (22.6 percent), and the percentage of early term babies born at weeks 37 or 38 statewide (23.8 percent). In Oneida County alone, 36.2 percent of early term babies were delivered by C-section.

The infographic from Excellus BlueCross BlueShield is consistent with separate and independent recommendations from Choosing Wisely®, an initiative of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Foundation. Choosing Wisely includes over 300 care recommendations submitted by physician-led medical specialty societies to improve the quality of care and encourage conversations between physicians and patients about services which may be unnecessary and may cause harm.

Two participating medical societies, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Family Physicians, states that "most babies need 39 weeks to develop fully. Induced or planned delivery before that time – without valid medical reason – is not in the best interest of the baby or the mother."

"The goal we're trying to support is more informed discussions between patients and their doctors," said Bartels. "That is also the stated goal of the independent Choosing Wisely initiative. Patient education material provided by Consumer Reports, a partner in the campaign can be helpful in the shared decision making between the mother and her physician."

• To view the infographic: http://tinyurl.com/l94x8kx

• To view a printable poster: http://tinyurl.com/l6p6j6b

• Mobile-friendly infographic: bit.ly/1cgfMAO

• The Best Time to Deliver Your Baby (video): https://youtu.be/SHO4MyGMWQI

For additional information from Choosing Wisely at Consumer Reports, go to: http://consumerhealthchoices.org/choosing-wisely-report/delivering-baby/

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Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, a nonprofit independent licensee of the BlueCross BlueShield Association, is part of a family of companies that finances and delivers vital health care services to about 1.6 million people across upstate New York. Excellus BlueCross BlueShield provides access to high-quality, affordable health coverage, including valuable health-related resources that our members use every day, such as cost-saving prescription drug discounts and wellness tracking tools. To learn more, visit excellusbcbs.com.