(April 18, 2025) – Forty-eight Kansas Hospital Association member hospitals have enrolled in the Kansas Perinatal Quality Collaborative Severe Hypertension in Pregnancy Patient Safety Initiative. The Severe Hypertension in Pregnancy patient safety bundle is a patient safety resource developed by the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health in collaboration with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other allied partners.
This initiative is two years old and provides evidence-based, nationally recognized training and resources to participating hospitals at no cost. The bundle provides actionable steps that can be adapted to a variety of facilities and resource levels to improve the quality of care and outcomes for patients experiencing hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Funding for the initiative is supported by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, with support from HRSA as part of the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health State Capacity Program.
For more information about the initiative, please see the KPQC Severe Hypertension in Pregnancy Safety Bundle Fact Sheet. Participation in the KPQC can help birthing and non-birthing hospitals meet the emergency readiness conditions of participation requirements that apply to both prospective payment system hospitals and critical access hospitals effective July 1, 2025, as well as the OB conditions of participation that apply to birthing hospitals beginning Jan. 1, 2026, (organization, staffing and delivery of services) and Jan. 1, 2027, (OB staff training and QAPI program for OB services).
Additionally, participation in the KPQC helps hospitals meet the CMS birthing-friendly designation for hospitals and health systems. Requirements of this designation include: 1) Participation in a statewide or national perinatal quality improvement collaborative program; and 2) Implementation of evidence-based quality interventions in hospital settings to improve maternal health.
--Karen Braman