ISDH Holds Levels of Care Public Hearing

On Feb. 19, the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) held the

public hearing on Perinatal Hospital and Birthing Center Levels of Care. Levels of Care is a strategy to improve maternal and perinatal outcomes—particularly the reduction of infant mortality—by establishing systems designating where infants are born or transferred according to the level of care they need at birth. The draft rule was posted Jan. 23.

Union Hospital in collaboration with the Lugar Center provided verbal and written comments on the rule seeking to remove ambiguity for compliance with the proposed rule by requesting the definition of Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) coverage corresponds to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, Perinatal Levels of Care (8th Edition). Union Hospital participated in the Levels of Care pilot program in early 2015.

Over 80 individuals representing the entire state were in attendance.

ISDH plans to address the comments and provide a final draft for approval at the March 13 ISDH Executive Board meeting.