Health tech startup Mahmee tackles gaps in pregnancy care
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Mahmee, a maternal health startup first formed in 2014, recently rolled out a new pregnancy care membership program in an effort to lower the U.S.' maternal mortality rate outside the traditional medical setting.
Driving the news: Mahmee offers wraparound services for people navigating pregnancy and childbirth and has served over 20,000 people, according to Amanda Williams, Mahmee's medical director who is also an adviser to the Stanford-based California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative.
How it works: The app provides direct access to a team of trained professionals, including registered nurses, infant feeding consultants, doulas, nutritionists and mental health specialists.
- Care coordination — such as transportation and insurance coverage — is part of the program and members are able to connect with their care team seven days a week virtually or in a Mahmee-partnered clinic.
- Mahmee also offers individual and group sessions on topics like sleep optimization and blood pressure management.
- Anyone can join Mahmee for free but membership for the customized care program is $199 per month. (Many members are able to get it covered through their provider or health plan.)
The big picture: Mahmee should not replace your regular network of physicians, its leaders said.
- Mahmee is "about the times in between when you have your medical touchpoints, so in between your doctor's office visits, your midwife visits ... We're here to fill in the gaps and deficiencies of traditional prenatal and postpartum care," Williams told Axios.
- Mahmee patients have shown "markedly decreased" C-section rates and preterm birth rates compared to national averages, she noted.
What they're saying: While Mahmee serves people of all backgrounds, it was designed with Black communities and other people of color in mind, according to Williams.
- "The most important thing that patients can do is have an advocate ... especially if you're a person of color, given how deeply entrenched our obstetric system is in racism."
Of note: The company made headlines last year when it secured $9.2 million in funding led by Goldman Sachs. It lists Serena Williams and Mark Cuban among its other investors.