Existing law finds and declares that prenatal care, delivery service, postpartum care, and neonatal and infant care are essential services necessary to assure maternal and infant health, and that these services are not currently distributed so as to meet the minimum maternal and infant health needs of many Californians. Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to develop and maintain a statewide community-based comprehensive perinatal services program, as specified, to deliver services in medically underserved areas or areas with demonstrated need.
This bill would require the department, in consultation with specified stakeholders, to establish a 5-year pilot project to allow critical access and individual and small system rural hospitals to establish standby perinatal medical services, as defined. To qualify for participation in the pilot project, the bill would require a critical access or individual and small system rural hospitals to meet specified requirements, including, among others, that the hospital (1) be greater than 60 minutes from the nearest hospital providing full maternity services, (2) not have closed a full maternity or labor and delivery department within the past 3 years, and (3) agree to provide routine labor and delivery services or have an agreement with a freestanding birth center, as specified. The bill would require a hospital selected for a pilot program to comply with certain requirements, including among others, having and maintaining specified staff, services, and equipment. The bill would require a physician, as specified, to have overall responsibility for a pilot program under these provisions.
This bill would require the department, in consultation with specified stakeholders, to develop a monitoring plan and reporting template to collect and evaluate data on safety, outcomes, utilization, and populations served using stratified demographic data to the extent statistically reliable data is available and complies with medical privacy laws and practices. The bill would require the department to compile the data and prepare an evaluation to be submitted to the Legislature on or before 2 years after the completion of the pilot project, and made publicly available.