MCMH Ranks Tops in Elective Deliveries

Maine Coast Memorial Hospital was one of only three hospitals in the State to have a perfect 100% compliance rate on early elective newborn delivery rates for 2011 according to the employer-driven hospital quality watchdog The Leapfrog Group. Since Leapfrog highlighted data on this unsafe practice last year, early elective deliveries has emerged as a priority issue for dozens of national and local health organizations.

The Joint Commission also monitors hospital performance in this quality measure and most recently the Department of Health and Human Services announced this measure will be included in the first set of quality measures for the Medicaid program.

Early elective deliveries represent a significant cost in the U S healthcare system due to respiratory distress, temperature instability, increased bilirubin resulting in in-hospital treatment, infections, longer hospital stays and a higher mortality rate. According to hospital CEO Charlie Therrien, “We are pleased to report that newborns are not being delivered early without a medical reason at Maine Coast Memorial Hospital.” Experts, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the March of Dimes, caution that a baby needs at least 39 completed weeks to fully develop. There are medical reasons to schedule a delivery before the 39th completed week but these are rare.

Maternal/child care represent a major component of health benefits programs for healthcare purchasers and Leapfrog’s purchaser members share concerns about the quality of obstetrics and neonatal intensive care. The Leapfrog Group results are available for viewing on a special website www.leapfroggroup.org/tooearlydeliveries. The Leapfrog Group is a coalition of public and private purchasers of employee health benefits founded a decade ago to work for improvements in healthcare safety, quality and affordability.

Maine Coast Memorial Hospital offers complete Obstetrical/Gynecological and Midwifery care at their Maine Coast Women Care Practice in Ellsworth at 664-5650.