Amended in Assembly January 4, 2016

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 508

Introduced by Assembly Member Cristina Garcia

February 23, 2015

An act to add Section begin delete 137.5 end delete begin insert 123237 end insert to the Health and Safety Code, relating to public health.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 508, as amended, Cristina Garcia. Public health: maternal care.

Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health and sets forth its powers and duties, as specified. Existing law requires the begin delete State Department of Public Health to develop a coordinated state strategy for addressing the health-related needs of women, including implementation of goals and objectives for women’s health. end delete begin insert department to maintain a program of maternal and child health. end insert

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This bill would establish within the State Department of Public Health, the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative. The bill would require the collaborative to establish a statewide system for purposes of collecting and maintaining data related to, among other things, pregnancy-related maternal deaths. The bill would require any hospital in this state that provides obstetrical services to provide to the department, on a monthly basis, information relating to maternal mortality, as specified.

end delete begin insert

This bill would require the department to prepare and publish an annual report on maternal mortality and morbidity in California. The bill also would require the department to include in the report an in-depth analysis of maternal deaths and pregnancy-related complications, and would require the department, in order to develop the most accurate reports, to support efforts of private-public collaboration to collect necessary data and complete the report.

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Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

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begin insert SECTION 1. end insert   

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begin insert Section 123237 is added to the end insert begin insert Health and Safety
Code end insert begin insert , to read: end insert

begin insert

begin insert 123237. end insert   

(a) The State Department of Public Health, as part
of its work to advance and improve California maternity care
through data-driven quality improvement, shall prepare and
publish an annual report on maternal mortality and morbidity in
California. The report shall include, but not be limited to, an
analysis of all maternal deaths and instances of complications
related to pregnancy, which includes all of the following:

(1) Patient demographics.

(2) Underlying causes.

(3) Contributing factors.

(4) Suggestions for improvements in care.

(b) In order to develop the most accurate reports, the department
shall support efforts of private-public collaboration to collect and
analyze necessary data and complete the report.

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begin delete

SECTION 1.  

Section 137.5 is added to the Health and Safety
Code, to read:

137.5.  

(a) There is hereby established within the State
Department of Public Health, the California Maternal Quality Care
Collaborative, for purposes of advancing California maternity care
through data-driven quality improvement.

(b) The collaborative shall do all of the following:

(1) Establish and maintain a statewide, sustainable, collaborative,
evidence-based, and data-driven quality improvement system.

(2) Provide leadership and tools for the achievement of
documentable and continuous improvements in maternity outcomes
and a reduction in disparities of care processes and outcomes.

(3) Engage multiple stakeholders and groups, including, but not
limited to, clinicians, women, communities, insurers, researchers,
organizations, and public policymakers, for purposes of working
together to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes in this
state.

(4) Maintain and analyze data provided by hospitals pursuant
to subdivision (c).

(c) (1) Any hospital in this state that provides obstetrical
services shall report to the department, on a monthly basis, data
relating to its provision of obstetrical services, including, but not
limited to, information on pregnancy-related maternal deaths and
rates of obstetric hemorrhage or infection, and recommendations
relating to maternal mortality prevention.

(2) The monthly report required pursuant to subparagraph (A)
shall be provided no later than 45 days following the end of the
month for which the data applies and is required.

(d) The department shall be provided funding for purposes of
adequately staffing the collaborative.

(e) For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall
have the following meanings:

(1) “Collaborative” means the California Maternal Quality Care
Collaborative.

(2) “Department” means the State Department of Public Health.

(3) “Hospital” means a general acute care hospital, as defined
in Section 1250, that provides obstetrical services.

end delete