In this commentary, we present an overview of the accelerating trend toward community-based models for pregnancy care. Doula services, as part of community care programs, are the major target for new coverage changes. Obstetric professionals who include community care providers in their treatment plans can benefit from these local resources in the prenatal, birthing, and postpartum stages of patient management. Including community care programs may help achieve goals of improving health outcomes and health equity.
Keywords: birth; community care model; doula; health care delivery; health care system; health equity; insurance coverage; labor; obstetric provider; perinatal care; pregnancy; prenatal care.
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