How extended Medicaid and required postpartum depression screening affect care after pregnancies with gestational diabetes or high blood pressure
Official title: Impact of Medicaid Postpartum Coverage Extension and Mandated Postpartum Depression Screening on Care for Gestational Diabetes and Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension
Funded at Tulane University of Louisiana · NIH-11158777 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project compares Louisiana (which extended Medicaid coverage and requires postpartum depression screening) to Mississippi to see if longer coverage and required screening improve blood sugar, blood pressure, and mood follow-up for people who had gestational diabetes or pregnancy-related high blood pressure.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Tulane University of Louisiana NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Orleans, United States) |
| Project start | August 17, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $526,315 |
| NIH project number | 5U54HD113159-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11158777 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who had gestational diabetes or pregnancy-induced high blood pressure and delivered in Louisiana or Mississippi during the study periods—especially those covered by Medicaid—are the focus of this work.
✕Less likely to help
People without pregnancy-related diabetes or high blood pressure, or those who delivered outside Louisiana and Mississippi, would not be included and are unlikely to directly benefit from this project.
What this research studies
You would be part of a comparison between Louisiana and Mississippi after changes in Medicaid postpartum coverage and a new rule requiring postpartum depression screening in Louisiana. The team will link hospital electronic health records and Medicaid billing data to track blood pressure checks, blood sugar monitoring, and depression screening after birth. They will look at people who had gestational diabetes or pregnancy-related high blood pressure across three time periods from 2022 to 2027 to see how care and follow-up changed. The project also includes patient experience information through an existing collaboration to understand barriers to care.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could show whether extending Medicaid and mandating depression screening leads to more follow-up care and better long-term health after complicated pregnancies.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research suggests extended postpartum Medicaid coverage can raise follow-up visit rates and that depression screening increases detection, but linking EHR and claims to measure effects specifically after gestational diabetes and pregnancy hypertension is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Tulane University of Louisiana
New Orleans, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Shi, Lizheng — Tulane University of Louisiana
- Study coordinator: Shi, Lizheng
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
How Medicaid Postpartum Coverage and PPD Screening Could Improve Diabetes and Blood Pressure Care After Birth
A large NIH grant is studying how extending Medicaid after birth and mandating postpartum depression screening affect care for women with gestational diabetes and pregnancy-related high blood pressure.
-
Effects of extended Medicaid coverage and postpartum depression screening on care for gestational diabetes and pregnancy-induced hypertension
This study is looking at how extending Medicaid coverage after childbirth and requiring screenings for postpartum depression can help new moms in Louisiana get better care for issues like gestational diabetes and high blood pressure, and it will compare their experiences to those of moms in Mississippi, where these cha
-
Group-based postpartum depression prevention: in-person vs. virtual delivery
A large study is testing whether the ROSE group program delivered virtually to pregnant people is just as helpful as the in-person version in preventing postpartum depression.
-
Postpartum depression screening at well-child visits in Arkansas
A study examines whether adding depression screening at baby visits in Arkansas improves detection and care for new mothers.
-
Ketamine to reduce postpartum depression and pain after cesarean delivery
This grant explores a ketamine approach to help new mothers after cesarean delivery feel better sooner and with less pain.
-
Trajectories of Positive Motivation and Postpartum Depression Risk
This project studies how brain reward function and daily mood patterns before and after birth relate to the risk of postpartum depression, with a focus on mothers and babies.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.