The Biden administration on Wednesday released additional details about its planned new "birthing-friendly" designation for hospitals.
The goal of the proposal, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said, is to allow consumers to better choose providers that have a proven track record of high-quality maternity care and a commitment to maternal health. The effort is part of the Department of Health and Human Services' broader push to address maternal mortality and morbidity.
The agency plans to base the designation on the hospital's certification for the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program's Maternal Morbidity Structure Measure. CMS said this measure is a "first step" in capturing additional data on how hospitals are performing on quality for maternal health.
The reporting period for the measure began in October 2021, and the information will be submitted for the first time this May. CMS will post the results in the fall, with initial determinations on the hospital to come in fall 2023.
Additional program details will be included in the forthcoming proposed Inpatient Prospective Payment System rule for hospitals.
“Everyone deserves access to quality health care, especially as they start a family,” said Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra in a statement. “At HHS, we are proposing the ‘Birthing-Friendly’ hospital designation and working with states to provide a full year of postpartum care to ensure all parents have the best care they need—before, during and after a pregnancy. We will continue to deliver on the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to reduce racial disparities including those we see in maternal health outcomes.”