Hospital Requirements for Reporting Participation in Perinatal Quality Initiative Collaboratives
Medicare Hospital IQR Program’s Maternal Morbidity Structural Measure
The new Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Programs’ Maternal Morbidity Structural Measure starts data collection on October 1, 2021.
In the FY 2022 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) Final Rule released in August 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized the inclusion of the new Maternal Morbidity Structural Measure in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program in the hopes of addressing the continuing maternal health crisis and bolster quality of care during and after labor and delivery.
This new measure will:
- Determine the number of hospitals currently participating in a structured State or national Perinatal QI Collaborative (PQC)
- Determine whether hospitals are implementing the safety practices or bundles included as part of these QI initiatives
PQCs are aimed at improving maternal outcomes through the implementation of patient safety bundles addressing pregnancy complications including hemorrhage, severe hypertension/preeclampsia or sepsis. These patient safety bundles can be utilized through the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM), a national program that leads in the development and implementation of best practices to promote safe care for every birth. AIM provides support to many state-based teams, including PQCs, to aid in the implementation of its bundles.
Starting October 1, 2021, CMS will initiate a shortened initial reporting period for data collection through December 31, 2021, with full year reporting periods occurring thereafter. This initial reporting period will affect payment determination for 2023.
ACOG supports the inclusion of this new measure in the Hospital IQR Program and aims to provide the educational resources needed to ease the transition of providers and hospitals in reporting this new measure.