San Antonio, TX, July 1, 2026 – Community First Health Plans, Inc, (Community First) today announced a new partnership with Vheda Health, the leader in outcomes and analytics through virtual health engagement, to support high-risk mothers living with diabetes and hypertension across Texas. The program is designed to identify mothers with a high-risk pregnancy, engage them early, and deliver full-term babies with decreased complications and improved delivery cost.
Through this collaboration, eligible Community First Medicaid members in Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe, Kendall, Medina, and Wilson counties will be invited to participate in the Vheda Health Maternity Program. Mothers enrolled in the program are supported through a continuous, analytics-driven care model designed to identify risk early and prevent avoidable complications during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Participating mothers receive tools and connectivity needed to enable real-time engagement, including a smartphone with data, a HIPAA-compliant Vheda Health app, and condition-specific devices such as glucometers, blood pressure cuffs, and weight scales. This enables Vheda to detect early signs of risk and proactively intervene through targeted channels to close the loop, ensuring the mom’s provider delivers timely care.
“Community First Health Plans is focused on delivering accessible, high-quality care to members who face complex health challenges,” said Jessica Rios, Director of Health Equity, Community First Health Plans, Inc. “Our partnership with Vheda Health is bringing the best evidence-based virtual engagement model to South Texas that enables our mothers to deliver full-term babies, close care gaps, and avoid unnecessary hospital visits.”
“Vheda Health is proud to be in Texas, supporting Community First in launching the best outcomes-driven Maternity program for Medicaid and underserved populations,” said Bradley Marks, Chief Client Officer, Vheda Health. “By combining analytics, continuous engagement, and early intervention, Vheda enables Community First to reduce avoidable emergency room visits and inpatient admissions while improving key maternal and postpartum outcomes.”
The Vheda Health program is a national blueprint for Medicaid plans across the United States because of its ability to deliver outcomes through a continuous, close-loop intervention model designed to identify risk early and prevent avoidable complications, especially for high-risk maternity populations. By combining real-time analytics with ongoing member engagement and clinical coordination, Vheda ensures a mother’s issues are addressed before they escalate into costly events.
This model has been especially effective with underserved populations, where social and environmental barriers and care deserts often drive poor outcomes. Vheda’s model overcomes these challenges, delivering exceptional maternity outcomes, including:
- 38.4 weeks average gestation at delivery
- < 8% NICU rate
- ~20% delivery cost improvement
Vheda’s program is delivered through a performance-based model and supported by transparent reporting on engagement, utilization, and medical savings, enabling health plans to improve outcomes while managing total cost of care and supporting MLR performance.
About Community First Health Plans
Community First Health Plans, Inc. is a Texas-based, non-profit health plan headquartered in San Antonio that provides managed care coverage to eligible Medicaid members throughout South Texas. Community First is committed to improving the health of its members through focused, compassionate, and coordinated care in partnership with local providers and community organizations.
About Vheda Health
Vheda Health is an outcomes and analytics company that partners with Medicaid, Medicare, and SNP health plans to reduce avoidable medical spend by driving measurable reductions in emergency room utilization and inpatient admissions. With more than 12 years of experience, Vheda identifies high-risk members, engages them continuously, and intervenes early to prevent costly events, delivering more than 80 percent member engagement and an average 3:1 return on investment. Vheda supports high-impact use cases including chronic conditions, behavioral health, and maternity, using a scalable, closed-loop care model designed to improve outcomes while lowering total cost of care. The most trusted government payers partner with Vheda Health to create a better healthcare experience that empowers people to live their best life. For more information, please visit vheda.com or follow on LinkedIn.
Media Contacts:
Community First Health Plans Contact:
Cynthia De La Peña
Director, Corporate Communications
cdelapena@cfhp.com
Vheda Health Contact:
Kerry Lee Perry
Chief Marketing Officer
kperry@vheda.com