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Poster Session 3

Category: Healthcare Policy/Economics

Poster Session 3

(835) Postpartum Follow-Up During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Diverse Urban Population

Thursday, February 12, 2026

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Submitting Author(s)

Rachel Nordlicht, BA

Student
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
The Bronx, New York, United States

Coauthor(s)

JA

Jessica Atrio, MD, MSc

Alice L. Walton School of Medicine
Bentonville, Arkansas, United States

Presenting Author(s)

Kavita Vani, MD, MS

Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center
Bronx, New York, United States

Objective:
To evaluate postpartum follow-up attendance before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic in a large, urban, racially diverse obstetric population.

Study Design:
We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 13,874 patients who received prenatal care and delivered at Montefiore Medical Center between June 2018 - May 2022. Four periods were defined based on key COVID-19 milestones: pre-COVID (before 3/11/2020, pandemic declaration), peak COVID (3/11/2020–6/11/2020, elective procedures cancelled), late COVID (6/12/2020–6/15/2021, elective procedures resumed, no widespread vaccination), and post-COVID (after 6/15/2021, vaccines widely available). The primary outcome was postpartum visit (PPV) attendance within 12 weeks of delivery. Chi-square tests compared PPV attendance across periods. Logistic regression adjusted for demographics, prenatal care, comorbidities, delivery outcomes, and NICU admission. Secondary outcomes included emergency room (ER) visits and readmissions within 12 weeks.

Results:
There were 6,989 (50.4%) deliveries pre-COVID, 944 (6.8%) during peak COVID, 3,273 (23.6%) during late COVID and 2,668 (19.2%) post-COVID. Compared to pre-COVID PPV attendance of 46.2%, PPV rates increased significantly during peak (73.5%), late (63.7%) and post-COVID (59.8%), p < 0.01). After adjustment, compared to pre-COVID, patients who delivered during peak COVID had a 3.5x higher odds of attending a PPV (aOR 3.50, 95% CI 2.97–4.11), 1.98x higher odds during late COVID (aOR 1.98, 95% CI 1.80–2.17) and 1.6x higher odds post-COVID (aOR 1.61, 95% CI 1.45–1.78), all p< 0.01. Compared to pre-COVID, ER visits were less likely during peak (aOR 0.56, 95% CI 0.44–0.69) and late COVID (aOR 0.83, 95% CI 0.73–0.93), p< 0.01. No significant differences in readmissions were found.

Conclusion:
PPV attendance increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and remained elevated post-pandemic. This pattern may reflect forced changes in care delivery, such as expanded telehealth use, that may have helped reduce longstanding barriers to follow-up. Sustained implementation of flexible care models may help preserve these gains.