New HHS Program Seeks to Boost Maternal and Infant Health While Closing Disparities

By Consumers For Quality Care, on November 29, 2021

According to Becker’s Hospital Review, more than 200 hospitals are participating in a new Department of Health and Human Services program that aims to reduce disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes.

The participating hospitals in the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Perinatal Improvement Collaborative will be capturing more than 150 metrics that could potentially impact maternal and infant health. It is the first study of its kind that will link the inpatient data of newborns to their mothers.

The program will then evaluate potential solutions that can both enhance clinical quality, as well as advance health equity. CQC applauds this effort to combat long-standing inequities in maternal mortality rates that have consistently shown Black women are more likely to die in childbirth than white women.