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Bipartisan Maternity Reform Legislation Introduced
by Reps. Engel and Myrick
NACPM congratulates Congressman Elliot Engel (D-NY) and Congresswoman Sue Myrick (R-NC) on the filing of the Partnering to Improve Maternity Care Quality Act of 2010 (HR 6437). NACPM commends Childbirth Connection for their work with these offices in the drafting of this important piece of bipartisan legislation. This act is designed to improve the quality, health outcomes, and value of care for childbearing women and newborns covered by Medicaid and CHIP (Child Health Insurance Program).
HR 6437 includes provisions recommended in two Childbirth Connection reports: Evidence-Based Maternity Care: What It Is and What It Can Achieve (2008) and the Blueprint for Action: Steps toward a High-Quality, High-Value Maternity Care System (2010). Childbirth Connection issued Evidence-Based Maternity Care together with the Reforming States Group and the Milbank Memorial Fund. The Blueprint was developed through the Transforming Maternity Care project, a multi-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder collaboration that engaged leaders from across the health care system over two and one-half years in identifying priority actions for driving maternity care quality improvement.
Provisions in this bill will:
- Help measure, improve and make decisions based on maternity care quality by identifying existing, and creating new, performance measures
- Develop effective processes for reporting the results of quality measurement to clinicians, consumers, policy makers and payers
- Identify mechanisms for maternity care improvement based on the results of quality measurement
- Create a demonstration project to test the impact of innovative payment reform mechanisms on the quality, value and outcomes of maternity care provided to Medicaid beneficiaries
- Develop an initial maternity care Quality Data Set to enable electronic health records to routinely collect and report the maternity care quality measures
- Support an Institute of Medicine report to identify essential, evidence-based services for childbearing women and newborns
In a press release from his office, Rep. Engel states: "This bill would be a partnership with clinicians, consumers, advocates, payers and purchasers. The benefits are numerous and the costs minimal. I have long fought for improved health care for all Americans, and I plan to continue fighting to improve the many ways health care is provided for our citizens."
"Getting high-quality care in the earliest stages of life leads to healthier development in childhood. Likewise, responsible maternity care can prevent childbirth-related health problems for mothers. Evidence-based reforms to the maternity care payment process could save healthcare dollars and improve quality of care, and I am proud to be a co-sponsor of this bill," said Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC-09), the lead co-sponsor.
In the same press release, Childbirth Connection Executive Director Maureen Corry, MPH, says: "This measure could not be timelier as stakeholders seek ways to provide high-quality care within this large segment of the health care system and address growing pressures on Medicaid programs. By fostering safe, effective evidence-based maternity services, this legislation would improve care for mothers and babies and improve value for taxpayers, the federal government, and the states, which pay for care of about 41% of the nation's childbearing women and newborns."
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NACPM encourages our members to:
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