Comparison of Births by Provider, Place, and Payer in New Hampshire

This study examines maternity care in a rural state by birth attendant, place of birth, and payer of birth. It is a secondary analysis of birth certificate data in New Hampshire between the years 2005 and 2012. Results revealed that in New Hampshire, the majority of births occurred in the hospital setting (98.6%). Physicians attended 75.8% of births, certified nurse midwives attended 17%, and certified professional midwives attended 1%. Medicaid coverage was the payer source for 28% of all births, compared with 44.9% nationally. Women with a private payer source were more likely than women with Medicaid or other payer sources to have a cesarean section. The findings demonstrate quality of care outcomes among a range of clinicians and settings, providing a policy argument for expanding maternity care options.