Sponsored by:
Senator NILSA I. CRUZ-PEREZ
District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes maternity care standards for general hospitals providing maternity care.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning maternity care and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Department of Health shall develop maternity care standards for the use of general hospitals licensed to provide maternity care pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.). The maternity care standards shall focus on ensuring the safety of maternity care patients throughout the prenatal, childbirth, and postpartum periods, with the goal of reducing the number of, and disparities in, adverse maternity care outcomes.
b. The maternity care standards developed by the department pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall, at a minimum, include best practices with regard to the maternal care priorities that are identified by the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health, or another designated maternal safety and quality improvement initiative that is informed by national data. The department shall monitor the maternal care priorities that are identified by the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health, or another designated maternal safety and quality improvement initiative that is informed by national data, and update maternity care standards accordingly, while ensuring continued compliance with the updated maternity care standards as a condition of licensure pursuant to subsection c. of this section.
c. A hospital licensed to provide maternity care services shall ensure compliance with the maternity care standards developed pursuant to this section as a condition of licensure.
2. The Department of Health shall, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), adopt rules or regulations as are necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act.
3. This act shall take effect 365 days after the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Department of Health to develop maternity care standards for the use of general hospitals that are licensed to provide maternity care. The training standards are to focus on ensuring the safety of maternity care patients throughout the prenatal, childbirth, and postpartum periods, with the goal of reducing the number of, and disparities in, adverse maternity care outcomes.