OGRRGA offers new service for women with PPD

Mar 19 2011

Obstetricians & Gynecologists RRG of America, Inc. (OGRRGA), an insurance company for ob/gyns, announced today a new service for women who have delivered. Via http://www.freeppdtest.com the company offers a free postpartum depression signup for doctors and their patients. The Company believes it is the first such offer in America.

PPD (postpartum depression) attacks 1 in 9 or 10 women who deliver. It can cause long-lasting damage to women and their children. Recognition is key. The free test, available to any woman in the U.S. through her doctor, is delivered over the telephone and sends a report on a patient's session to her doctor's office. The test evaluates the patient's condition, and involves the doctor in taking action for the patient. It puts women on a path to support and recovery.  

The website is at http://www.freeppdtest.com. Patients can sign up their doctors, and doctors then assign the test through their signing up. Doctors are allowed an unlimited number of free tests for their post-delivery patients. No advertisements are contained on the website.

Some states - like New Jersey - require PPD tests, due to the serious consequences of untreated PPD. Most doctors encourage all women to have a PPD test 6-18 weeks after delivery.

The CDC website (http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/Depression) notes that symptoms include trouble sleeping, feeling disconnected from the baby, having scary or negative thoughts about the baby, or worrying that you might seriously hurt the baby.  According to a recent CDC (Centers for Disease Control) survey, 11% - 18% of women report frequent PPD symptoms. On the http://www.freeppdtest.com website, patients can submit a doctor's name for suggested sign-up. The Company contacts the doctor to encourage free test usage of the site for all the doctor's patients. The doctor assigns patients a test number and dial-in code, directly from the website.  

After the patient has taken the telephone-based test, a report comes by fax and email to the doctor. If there is a worrisome result, the company calls the doctor immediately.

The test provided is called the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale, and is generally considered the standard medical test for postpartum depression. The test is taken by the patient herself, and does not need to be administered by a doctor. The results do need medical interpretation - which is why a physician must receive the test results, and must be available to counsel the patient if a problem is discovered.  

Obstetricians & Gynecologists RRG of America, Inc., the provider of the free test service, is the nation's only insurance company exclusive to ob/gyns. It is a Montana corporation offering insurance in several states throughout the U.S.A.

SOURCE Obstetricians & Gynecologists RRG of America, Inc.