| The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is pleased to announce the launch of the Improving Maternal Health by Reducing Low-Risk Cesarean Delivery (LRCD) Learning Collaborative. For low-risk pregnancies, Cesarean delivery can pose a greater risk of maternal morbidity and mortality as well as infant complications than vaginal delivery.[i],[ii] Because of the known risks of cesarean delivery for low-risk pregnancies, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services set a Healthy People 2030 goal of 23.6 percent for the LRCD rate.[iii] In 2019, the LRCD rate for all birthing persons was 25.6 percent, with notable disparities between Black and White birthing persons (30.0 percent and 24.7 percent, respectively).[iv]Because Medicaid covers 42.1 percent of all births in the United States, reducing the number of LRCD births is an opportunity for state Medicaid and CHIP programs to improve the quality of maternal and infant health and reduce overall maternal morbidity and mortality. The learning collaborative will begin with a webinar series that demonstrates the role of LRCD in maternal and infant health and presents strategies that state Medicaid and Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) agencies can use to reduce LRCD births. Following the webinar series, an action-oriented affinity group will provide technical assistance to support state Medicaid and CHIP agencies in their efforts to convene stakeholders and improve maternal and infant health by reducing LRCD. CMS invites all interested staff from state Medicaid and CHIP agencies, along with their hospital and obstetrical providers, Medicaid and CHIP managed care plans, public health agencies, and other quality improvement partners, to take part in the Improving Maternal Health by Reducing LRCD Learning Collaborative webinar series beginning in March 2022. To register for one or more of the webinars, click here. Webinar #1: The Role of State Medicaid and CHIP Agencies in Reducing Low-Risk Cesarean Delivery: Improving Outcomes and Reducing Disparities(March 31, 2022) Webinar #2: State Medicaid and CHIP Agencies and Obstetrical Partners: Working Together to Reduce Low-Risk Cesarean Deliveries (Date: TBD) Webinar #3: Using Data to Plan and Assess Quality Improvement Strategies to Reduce Low-Risk Cesarean Delivery in Medicaid and CHIP (Date: TBD) Information Session Webinar: Improving Maternal Health by Reducing Low-Risk Cesarean Delivery Affinity Group: Overview and Expression-of-Interest Process (Date: TBD) Questions Please submit your questions to the technical assistance mailbox at [email protected]. [i] Sandall, J., Tribe, R.M., Avery, L., Mola, G., Visser, G.H.A., Homer, C.S.E., Gibbons, D., Kelly, N.M., Kennedy, H.P., Kidanto, H., Taylor, P., & Temmerman, M. (2018). Short-term and long-term effects of cesarean section on the health of women and children. The Lancet, (392)1, 13491357. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673618319305?via%3Dihub [ii] American Pregnancy Association. C-cection complications. https://americanpregnancy.org/healthy-pregnancy/labor-and-birth/c-section-complications/ [iii] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d). Reduce cesarean births among low-risk women with no prior births MICH-06. Healthy People 2030. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/pregnancy-and-childbirth/reduce-cesarean-births-among-low-risk-women-no-prior-births-mich-06 [iv] Martin, J.A., Hamilton, B.E., Osterman, M.J.K., and Driscoll, A.K. (2021). Births: Final Data for 2019. National Vital Statistics Reports, (70)2, 2-50. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-02-508.pdf |
