Maternal Data Center
One of the keys to CMQCC’s success is its ability to provide hospitals with access to near real-time benchmarking data through its online Maternal Data Center. The MDC links state birth certificate data with each hospital’s patient discharge data to generate a wide range of perinatal performance metrics and quality improvement insights. Currently there are more than 200 hospitals actively participating in the Maternal Data Center, representing approximately 95 percent of all births in California alone.
Quality Improvement Initiatives
CMQCC has developed evidence-based quality improvement toolkits for the leading causes of preventable death and complications for mothers and infants, including toolkits on: Cardiovascular Disease, Early Elective Delivery, Hemorrhage (1st and 2nd editions), Maternal Venous Thromboembolism, Preeclampsia, and Supporting Vaginal Birth and Reducing Primary Cesareans.
To help California hospitals implement the evidence-based care presented in our toolkits, CMQCC launched large-scale outreach collaboratives. State-wide collaboratives for hemorrhage and preeclampsia were launched individually and then a second time together in 2013 to help CA hospitals implement both obstetric hemorrhage and preeclampsia patient safety bundles. Maternal morbidity was reduced by 20.8% between 2014 – 2016 among the 126 hospitals participating in the California Partnership for Maternal Safety, the joint hemorrhage and preeclampsia collaborative.
A six-month pilot Collaborative to Support Vaginal Birth and Reduce Primary Cesareans was launched in 2014, and the first-birth cesarean rate decreased by greater than 20 percent between the three hospitals participating. Close to 100 hospitals are now participating in the current full-scale collaborative.
Research
CMQCC collaborates with the state of California to publish the California Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review. The first in-depth medical record review of pregnancy-related deaths occurring between 2002-2007 was published in 2011, which helped identify quality improvement opportunities in maternity care. A second in-depth medical record review focused on mental health is currently underway.
CMQCC has developed four quality measures endorsed by the National Quality Forum – Cesarean Rate for Low-Risk First Birth Women; Infants Under 1500g Delivered at Appropriate Site; Exclusive Breastfeeding at Hospital Discharge; and Unexpected Newborn Complications. We have also authored more than 60 publications in peer-reviewed journals focused on maternity care (complete list available here).