Doula care is a maternity benefit available to NJ FamilyCare members.
A doula supports you through pregnancy and the postpartum period with education and emotional and physical support. They may visit you in the home/community, accompany you to clinical appointments, and provide continuous labor support at the hospital or birth center.
Receiving doula care can help you have a better, more positive birth experience.
Information for NJ FamilyCare Members Interested in Receiving Doula Care (NJ FamilyCare Community Doula Directories)
Fee-for-service directory
If you are a fee-for-service NJ FamilyCare member looking for doula care, call your local Medical Assistance Customer Center (MACC) (listed here) for help. To find the doula directory for fee-for-service members, please visit https://www.njmmis.com and click on “Provider Directory” on the left side of the page. Select “Doula Provider” option from the “Provider Specialty” dropdown menu. Click “Submit Request”.
Managed care directories
If you are a managed care NJ FamilyCare member looking for doula care, call your managed care “Member Services” number (listed here) and ask for the maternity case management team for help. To find the doula directory for your specific managed care plan, please see:
Information for Doulas Interested in Enrolling as NJ FamilyCare Providers
We welcome doulas to enroll as NJ FamilyCare providers. Doulas are encouraged to reach out to our Doula Guides with questions/support at mahs.doulaguide@dhs.nj.gov . Doula Guides are staff members dedicated to helping doula providers enroll and participate in NJ FamilyCare.
Doula services delivered to NJ FamilyCare members must be provided by community doulas. Community doulas are best equipped to meet the particular needs of our diverse NJ FamilyCare members as they receive additional training in delivering culturally competent care and accessing NJ’s community-based resources. To see if your doula training meets NJ FamilyCare’s community doula requirements, see our Approved Trainings document for more information.
If you are interested in becoming a NJ FamilyCare community doula, the first step is to complete an application to become a “fee-for-service” provider within NJ FamilyCare.
For more information about NJ FamilyCare’s doula benefit, please see our Provider Newsletter.
Additional Information
The following archived doula trainings include more information on how doulas can enroll as NJ FamilyCare providers.
Training Session #1: Enrollment as an Individual Doula within the NJFC Fee-for-Service Program (Original Session Date: 12/9/2020)
Part One: Introduction to NJ FamilyCare and Fee-for-Service/Managed Care (video recording)
Part Two: Application Process for Individual Doulas (video recording)
Presentation Slide Deck including NPI: What You Need to Know (PDF)
Training Session #2: Enrollment as a Doula-only Agency (group provider) within the NJFC Fee-for-Service Program (Original Session Date: 12/11/2020)
Part One: Introduction to NJ FamilyCare and Fee-for-Service/Managed Care (video recording)
Part Two: Application Process for a Doula-only Agency (video recording)
Presentation Slide Deck including NPI: What You Need to Know (PDF)
Training Session #3: Doula Claims Submission within the NJFC Fee-for-Service Program (Original Session Date: 4/12/2021)
Claims Presentation (video recording)
Presentation Slide Deck (PDF)
Training Session #4: MCO contracting within the NJFC Program (Original Session Date: 6/28/2021)
Contracting Presentation (video recording) The Q&A session is not in the recording but the answers are added to the slide deck.
Presentation Slide Deck including Q&A (PDF)
Design of NJ FamilyCare’s doula benefit
Access to doula care is a key part of a package of maternal health reforms associated with NurtureNJ, an initiative led by First Lady Tammy Murphy to make New Jersey the safest and most equitable place in the nation to deliver and raise a baby.
The design and implementation of New Jersey’s community doula program benefited from the input of a doula stakeholder group. This group included community-based doulas and representatives from non-profit foundations in the maternal health space, our NJ FamilyCare managed care organizations, and the NJ Department of Health. The work of the community doula stakeholder group from 2019-2021 was summarized at the October 19, 2021 meeting. To see the slide deck presented, click here.
