As you all know,  SB 477, a bill to license certified professional midwives to provide
out-of-hospital maternity care services was signed by Gov. Jim Doyle as Act 292 this past year.  

Under previous law, only nurse midwives, who work primarily in hospital settings, were eligible for licensure.

The Department of Regulation and Licensing has set up administrative rules to determine policies in granting of licensure, scope of practice and professional conduct.  

Generally, many insurers cover midwife care -- provided she is licensed according to state law and works in a hospital or approved birthing center. Not all midwives are certified nurses; those who aren't are sometimes referred to as lay midwives.

Insurance coverage is spottier for those midwives who are not certified nurses, or who assist home birth or otherwise work outside the traditional hospital setting.

The Wisconsin Section would like to document any adverse outcomes that physicians might encounter in their practice by patients who are assisted by professional midwives.

Please send this information to the W/ACOG office to be kept on file for future discussion.  Send to:  W/ACOG, P.O. Box 636, Pewaukee, WI 53072.