CMS, HHS Offer Multipronged Approach to Improving Maternal Health

By Jonathan Springston, Editor, Relias Media

Officials from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), under the direction of Vice President Kamala Harris, have announced a series of proposals over the last week aimed at boosting maternal health outcomes.

Recent federal and private sector data indicate maternal health needs much improvement. Every year, thousands of women experience severe pregnancy complications, and hundreds of women die as a result. Outcomes are even worse for minorities and those living in rural areas. However, much of this is preventable.

To start, CMS is encouraging hospitals to re-examine policies and procedures around maternal health, suggesting facilities focus on “maternal safety bundles,” evidence-based improvements that can help particularly in the areas of non-medically indicated Cesarean deliveries, obstetric hemorrhage, and severe hypertension. If hospitals improve these metrics, especially by participating in statewide or national perinatal quality improvement collaboratives, CMS could issue a “Birthing-Friendly” designation, a recently introduced Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program metric.

Outside the walls of the medical facility, state lawmakers and officials could help by providing 12 months of postpartum coverage to women enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), two programs that play a huge role in maternal health services. In a letter to state health officials, CMS noted more than half of pregnancy-related deaths occur within 12 months postpartum, and 12% occur after six weeks. But the agency also indicated higher levels of postpartum engagement in states that have already expanded Medicaid eligibility beyond 60 days.

If the Build Back Better Act (BBA) becomes law, all states will be required to extend Medicaid coverage for one year postpartum. Additionally, BBA would invest $3 billion in maternal health funding, which would be targeted to expanded research, diversifying the workforce, and improving data collection.

For more on this and related subjects, be sure to read the latest issues of OB/GYN Clinical Alert and Healthcare Risk Management. Also, check out Relias Obstetrics, a comprehensive program designed to improve quality and patient safety in five high-acuity obstetrical areas.