The Landscape of Maternal Quality Measures: Case Study of Perinatal Core Measure PC-01

• In Event: 322 - Section on Medical Sociology Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 11. Maternal Health

Abstract

Maternity care has recently been highlighted as an under-performing sector of U.S. healthcare and thus a strategic area for improvement. Consequently, this sector is the locus of intense quality improvement efforts. The Joint Commission’s recently adopted perinatal care measure set is the most prominent measurement tool in the maternity care landscape at present. In this article, we orient readers to the shifting landscape of quality measurement in maternity care by providing an in-depth analysis of one measure, the “Elective Deliveries Less than 39 Weeks Gestational Age,” as a case study in how maternal quality measures are being used by various organizations and/or states. We argue that quality measures themselves are changing the landscape of obstetric care in the U.S. and as a result, a critical understanding of the actual procedures for building, selecting, and implementing quality measures, as well as the potential benefits and pitfalls of engaging in quality measurement, are of value to maternal child health officials, obstetric clinicians and policy makers.

Authors

• Christine H. Morton, Stanford University

• Katie Pine, University of California-Irvine