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April 21, 2022

Arizona Medicaid: New care option for infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome

UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Arizona has contracted with Hushabye Nursery to better serve newborns with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and pregnant women with opioid use disorder (OUD). These services would primarily meet the needs of members in Maricopa County.

What is Hushabye Nursery?
Hushabye Nursery provides trauma-informed, short-term medical care to infants suffering from NAS and their families. Each infant shares a room with their caregiver, allowing them to provide the soothing and bonding critical for the infant’s recovery. Health care professionals at Hushabye Nursery are trained in soothing techniques shown to be effective non-pharmacologic interventions.

Services for pregnant women with OUD include support groups, behavioral health services, parenting classes and case management.

Accessing care for your patients
Here’s how to access care at Hushabye Nursery for your patients who are UnitedHealthcare Community Plan members:

  • UnitedHealthcare Community Plan will cover the transfer for infants who are less than 48 hours old, have been identified or suspected of having NAS and have not been placed in a NICU status
  • Infants may have other newborn conditions such as jaundice, feeding difficulties requiring tube feedings and glucose instability
  • Mothers may be at any stage of pregnancy and identify as having OUD
  • Newborns may be admitted to the nursery even if their mothers were not previously receiving treatment through Hushabye

To determine if a newborn is suited for a transfer to Hushabye Nursery, please contact them by phone or text at 480-628-7500, or email info@hushabyenursery.org. Learn more at hushabyenursery.org.

Learn more about NAS and OUD
Be sure to take our self-paced OB-GYN care provider toolkit course for recommendations on treating infants with NAS and pregnant women with OUD.

Questions?
For questions about coverage, call UnitedHealthcare Provider Services at 800-445-1638.

PCA-1-22-00938-C&S-News
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