Since the spring of 2014, Indiana has been using data analytics to reduce the state’s historically dismal infant mortality rate — and the results of those efforts have been announced in a new report. The primary discovery? There is a subgroup of mothers whose infants face a steep risk for dying and birth-related issues.
Indeed, the state’s youngest mothers on Medicaid, who are not getting the recommended number of prenatal visits, make up 1.6 percent of all births — but they account for nearly 50 percent of all infant deaths, according to the report.
The state commissioned Indianapolis-based KSM Consulting to help it unify and crunch data from across state executive branch agencies to address the infant mortality issue. The project is Indiana’s first effort using its new data analytics infrastructure, but the state will soon use it to tackle recidivism and child abuse prevention as well.
