The first annual Oregon Perinatal Collaborative Summit, “Leading Perinatal Safety in Oregon,” brought together leading nurses and physicians from around the state to share best practices on improving the quality of maternity care. All specializing in obstetrics, the providers gathered at Providence St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Portland on October 30th, 2015. The Summit was presented by the Oregon Perinatal Collaborative (OPC), March of Dimes and The Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems.
OPC Chair, Aaron Caughey, MD, PhD, from Oregon Health Science University (OHSU), reviewed the Collaborative’s first two major initiatives since convening in 2011: eliminating early elective deliveries prior to 39 weeks gestation and reducing primary C-sections.
The Summit served as the rollout and demonstration of the Oregon Maternal Data Center (OMDC). The OMDC, created on behalf of the OPC and spearheaded by Oregon Health Care Quality Corporation (Q Corp), is a robust and rapid cycle on-line tool for hospitals, which generates over 40 quality and performance improvement metrics. The OMDC is built off the system developed by the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative based at Stanford University and led by Dr. Elliott Main and colleagues. Dr. Main, the Summit’s keynote speaker, presented on OMDC as well as speaking about reducing maternal mortality.
Also featured at the Summit was the work of the OPC sub-committee on Maternity Models of Care, chaired by Helen Bellanca, MD, from Health Share of Oregon. The OPC determined there was a need to integrate behavioral health into the prenatal care setting and the sub-committee developed a Family Well-Being Assessment Tool to address the need. This tool is currently being piloted in Oregon.
Other topics covered in a policy panel presentation by OPC steering committee members are:
- Access to LARC (long-acting reversible contraception)
- Planned out of hospital births approaching 5% in Oregon
- Vaccinations during pregnancy
- Access to 17-P to prevent recurrent preterm birth
