Mounting evidence showed that early elective deliveries can cause newborns serious harm—including problems with breathing, feeding, and development—or even death. EEDs can also result in NICU admissions, increased length of stay, and higher costs to patients and payers. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has advised against these deliveries for over 30 years.

NQF initially examined the issue when it endorsed an EED measure as part of the nation’s first set of perinatal measures in 2008. The NQF Maternity Action Team -- including consumer organizations, health insurers, hospitals, obstetricians and other providers, public-private quality collaboratives, the National Priorities Partnership and the federal government – was formed to work collectively reduce EED rates.

The results were dramatic. The Leapfrog Hospital Survey first collected EED rates in 2010, revealing a national average of early elective deliveries of 17 percent. By 2013, that rate had dropped drastically to 4.6 percent. Further, by 2013, 71 percent of the nearly 1,000 reporting hospitals met Leapfrog’s early elective deliveries target rate of less than 5 percent, compared to 46 percent of hospitals participating in the 2012 survey.

2012 John Eisenberg Award-winner Memorial Hermann, a hospital system in the greater Houston that area delivers approximately 25,000 babies a year, utilizes the NQF -endorsed Early Elective Delivery measure, which has been adopted by the Joint Commission in its accreditation program. In June 2013, the system achieved zero EEDs in 8 of 9 delivering hospitals.

The NQF Maternity Action team recently distributed its Playbook for Successful Elimination of Early Elective Deliveries nationally to assist hospitals and other providers across the country in their efforts to achieve equal success in reducing their EED rates.