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The MAWS eNews
December 15th, 2014
midwives association of washington state
Membership Renewal Time!

Can you believe it's almost 2015 already? You should have already received a reminder email from our membership system that it's time to renew. For those of you who may have joined in 2014 or had your 2014 membership gifted to you, MAWS membership is on a calendar-year basis, so everyone's membership comes due the last day of December.

Thank you to everyone who has already renewed their membership! If you have any problems renewing or have questions on membership, please contact the head of our membership committee, Kristin, by emailing her by clicking here.



In this issue
:: Important QMP Alert
:: Ethical Response for Home Birth
:: Flu Season Update from DOH
:: DOH Needs Your Help!
:: Paper Chart Updates!
:: Obstetric Outcome Reports
:: NACPM Virtual Annual Meeting
:: Complaints About Denials
:: CDC Ebola Guidance
:: Continuing Education

Welcome 2015 Board of Directors!

Thank you to our professional members for participating in the election for our 2015 Board of Directors. 

First, a heartfelt thank you for all the time and energy to the board members that we are saying farewell to this year: Kat Barron, LM CPM; Peggy Thurston, LM CPM; Tina Tsiakalis, LM CPM; Eve German, Bastyr Student Rep; Celeste Groenenberg, MCU Student Rep.

Our new board members for 2015 are: Sarah Joy Day, LM CPM; Kristin Kali, LM CPM; Catherine Suter; and Christine Tindal.

Students representatives: Aubrei Ackerman, Bastyr; Sara Garrett, Birthwise; Tara Mudaliar, Bastyr; Kate Richmond, Birthwise; Jen Sagadelli, Bastyr; and Tiffany Wilson, MCU.

Continuing from 2014: Sarah Ambrose, LM CPM (Seattle); Laura Kuhs, LM CPM (Port Orchard); Kristin Effland, LM CPM (Leavenworth); Audrey Levine, LM (Olympia); Kristin Eggleston, LM CPM (Prosser); Meghann McNiff (Seattle); Taylor Hamil, LM CPM (West Seattle); Valerie Sasson, LM CPM (Kenmore); Oesa Hauch (Bothell); Emily Stephens (Olympia); Andrea Henderson, LM CPM (Bothell); Louisa Wales, LM CPM (Bainbridge Island).

Important QMP Alert

 

Just a reminder to please submit a QMP Self-Report for these sentinel events:
  • Maternal Mortality
  • Perinatal Mortality
  • Maternal shock
  • Uterine rupture
  • Maternal/neonatal seizure
  • Uterine inversion
  • NICU or Special care nursery admissions within 72 hours of birth (except for observation &/or congenital anomalies)
More detailed information about incident and peer review can be found on our website's QMP page.

Please use the existing (new) form on the website to report and provide as many details as possible for us to determine whether or not this case warrants review. As an example, in the case of a NICU admit, please comment on maternal and fetal vitals/stability prior to birth. Please, please, please DO NOT SEND CHART NOTES.

Thank you!
QMP Committee

 

If you have any additional questions about our Quality Management Program, or self reporting, please contact qmp@washingtonmidwives.org

What's an Ethical Response to Home Birth? 

 

At the recent Home Birth Summit, we had the pleasure of conversations with Dr. Burcher and Dr. Nielson. Check out this great article including and a response to Dr. Chervenak's argument against the safety of home birth.

 

Read the article here

 

Flu Season Update from the Washington DOH


 We need your help to protect pregnant and postpartum women from the flu by encouraging them to get a flu shot.  As a healthcare provider, you play an important role in whether or not your patient decides to get vaccinated.


 Pregnant women are more likely to be vaccinated when you recommend and offer flu vaccine.  Flu vaccination is recommended for pregnant and postpartum women by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist, the American College of Nurse Midwives, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Physicians, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).


 Please consider the following messages when talking with your pregnant and postpartum patients about the importance of flu vaccination and prompt treatment for flu.


 Flu is more likely to cause severe illness in pregnant and postpartum women.

  • Getting the flu during pregnancy may cause serious problems for an unborn baby, including premature labor and delivery.

Getting vaccinated is the best protection.

  • Women can be vaccinated against flu any time during pregnancy or after birth, even if they're breastfeeding.
  • Flu vaccine has been safely given to millions of pregnant women over several decades.  Pregnant women should not receive the nasal spray.
  • Getting a flu shot during pregnancy extends protection to babies for up to six months after birth--the time when babies cannot get vaccinated against flu and are particularly vulnerable.
  • Recommend flu vaccination for pregnant and postpartum women's family and caregivers.  This will help protect not only the pregnant mother, but also the new infant once born.
  • Recommend and offer the Tdap vaccine to protect against whooping cough.  The CDC recommends this vaccine during each pregnancy, ideally between 27 and 36 weeks gestation, to

Antiviral medication can treat the flu.

  • Prompt treatment with antiviral medication is important.  If a pregnant or postpartum woman gets sick with flu-like symptoms, she should call her doctor right away.  Early treatment helps lessen symptoms and shortens the time she is sick.  Antiviral treatment can be started even before influenza is confirmed.

Thank you for helping pregnant and postpartum women make an informed decision about getting vaccinated.  The Department of Health developed a flu resource specific to providers andpregnant/postpartum patients that is available for printing or online viewing.  For additional flu information, visit the Department of Health or CDC websites.

 

Community Input Survey for DOH

We want to know how you feel about issues important to the health of mothers, children and our community's wellness in general. We hope you can take a few minutes and give input on these topics.

 

Below are links to a Community Input Survey in English and Spanish.  Results from this survey will be part of the Five Year Needs Assessment for our Maternal and Child Health Block Grant. Attached are frequently asked questions and an overview of the survey.

 

English

Spanish

 

Please complete the survey and forward the link to your partner organizations and fellow community members.  The survey closes at 5:00 PM on Friday, December 19th so please forward it to your contacts right away.

 

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Kathryn Akeah, MCHBG Grant Coordinator at 360-236-3634 or by email atkathryn.akeah@doh.wa.gov.Kathryn can take calls in English and Spanish.

 

Thank you!

Karin

 

Karin Neidt, MPH 

Early Hearing-loss Detection, Diagnosis, and Intervention 

Screening, Genetics, and Cancer Unit 

Practice Improvement Section - Office of Healthy Communities

 

Update to Paper Charts!

 

MAWS is reviewing and updating our paper chart templates! If you are using the MAWS paper charts (Client Registration, Prenatal Record, Antepartum Notes, Labor Flow, Labor Flow Progress, Labor Summary, Immediate Postpartum, Postpartum Follow - Up, Newborn) and have feedback or input about the data in the form and/or what you would like to see included or changed in the form please email Taylor at: taylor@intandemmidwifery.com

 

NACPM Virtual Annual Meeting 

 

NACPM members, stakeholders and others curious about the work of the professional association participated in this first-ever virtual Annual Meeting. It was an opportunity to meet the NACPM Board of Directors, staff, consultants, and volunteers; to learn about the accomplishments, challenges, projects and collaborations of 2014; and to find out how members and stakeholders will help shape NACPM priorities for 2015.


 

Interested in watching it? Click here for the a downloadable agenda and to watch the meeting virtually.


Complaints about Denials?


 

The Office of the Insurance Commissioner wants to hear from consumers about problems getting coverage from their insurance providers  for services covered by the Affordable Care Act. They specifically want to hear about denials for lactation services, breast pumps and birth control.

Some example include:

The Office of the Insurance Commissioner investigates complaints and works with insurance providers to resolve them. Help them help you by sharing your experience by filing a complaint at:

http://www.insurance.wa.gov/complaints-and-fraud/file-a-complaint/

Continuing Education and Conferences 

 

E-learning Suturing Course

Study at home, at your own pace, great e-learning module from GynZone. Must be completed by December 31st. PayPal now for instant delivery to your in-box! Register here.

 

Midwifery Update 2015

A conference for healthcare professionals. 

Wednesday, February 4th, 2015 at the Shoreline Conference Center in Shoreline, WA. 

This conference provides an annual update on clinical issues in midwifery care. Join us for a day of lectures, discussions and case study analysis. Register here.

 

The White Privilege Conference

March 11-14, 2015. Louisville, KY. WPC is a conference that examines challenging concepts of privilege and oppression and offers solutions and team building strategies to work toward a more equitable world. Registration opens on January 1st, 2015. Registration information can be found here.

 

Foundations for Best Practice in Lactation Care at Bastyr University. 

Earn a Lactation Educator Certificate in 5 days, instructed by expert faculty of Evergreen Perinatal Education. Monday-Friday, February 2-6, 2015 8am-5pm  

Earn 3 CE contact hours by completing the online education, Resolving Shoulder Dystocia for the Active, Mobile Woman. Gaily Tully teaches this hands-on class for midwives, their active apprentices, and L & D nurses. Physicians and residents are also very welcome. For more information contact Gail email gail@spinningbabies.com visit the website http://www.spinningbabies.com

  

No More Kegels! This course was developed in response to skyrocketing rates of occurrence of Pelvic Floor Disorder, in an effort to bring the education and treatment of PFD in line with the science, which currently it is not, which is the reason the problem continues to get worse. Most literature on PFD gives some if not most of the blame for PFD on pregnancy and childbirth, despite the data that shows PFD rates to be equal among women who have never had children. For more information email info@restorativeexercise.com or visit the website http://restorativeexercise.com/2011/no-more-kegels/


The Wisdom of the Thirteen Moons was created to help midwives that are already working and those aspiring to become midwives to learn traditional ways of working with natural modalities instead of working with pharmaceutical drugs and ultra sounds in birth. The Wisdom Series will be specifically dealing with many situations that experienced midwives face and give a more traditional approach to dealing with them. Dealing with the overall health of the pregnant woman, bleeding after birth and more importantly, avoiding it in the first place. For more information contact Clare Loprinzi call 808-333-8990 email ClareLoprinzi@gmail.com visit the website http://www.MammaPrimitiva.com

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This is your newsletter.  Please send any feedback or suggestions to Amanda Anderson.  We welcome suggestions for future topics, popular articles or research to include.