Perinatal and Reproductive Health 2015-2016 Final Report 

For the 61 million women of reproductive age in the U.S., access to high-quality care before and between pregnancies, including pregnancy planning, contraception, and preconception care, can reduce the risk of pregnancy-related complications, including maternal and infant mortality. Research suggests that morbidity and mortality associated with pregnancy and childbirth are largely preventable through adherence to existing evidence-based guidelines. Lower quality care during pregnancy, labor and delivery, and the postpartum period can translate into unnecessary complications, prolonged lengths of stay, costly neonatal intensive care unit admissions, and anxiety and suffering for patients and families. However, without appropriate information about performance at a national level, perinatal quality improvement efforts will be unfocused and incentives for improvement limited. This report summarizes the evaluation of 24 measures reviewed by the Perinatal and Reproductive Health Committee, 18 of which were endorsed. The endorsed measures include metrics to assess reproductive healthcare, labor and delivery, postpartum care, and newborn health, including care for premature and low birthweight babies.