A Birth Center Primer for Hospital Leaders:
Achieving Seamless Collaboration and Advancing Equity Through Community-Based Care
Session Materials and Resources
The Birth Center Primer for Hospital Leaders Learning Series is now completed.
Access recordings, slides, and other learning materials for the six sessions below. You can also access the accompanying Hospital Guide to Integrating the Freestanding Birth Center Model, and explore the Step Up Together Drills & Skills Action Collaborative.
Session 1: Assessing Readiness and Centering Equity
in Your Hospital’s Birth Center Strategy
Learning objectives:
Identify the importance and value of the freestanding birth center model and how integration with both the health system and the community improves outcomes and addresses health inequities
List at least 3 foundational elements of equitable and successful hospital-birth center integration
Identify stakeholders within their health systems and communities to engage in planning and implementing birth center integration activities
Select and use tools based on system’s needs, priorities and readiness for birth center integration
Presenters:
Nashira Baril, MPH; Director and Founder of Neighborhood Birth Center
Dr. Pooja Mehta MD, MSHP, FACOG; Head of Women’s Health, Cityblock Health, Boston Medical Center
Dr. Chris Morris, MD; Chief Medical Officer at Diana Health
Facilitator: Amy Romano, MBA, MSN, CNM, FACNM; Founder and CEO, Primary Maternity Care
Session Materials:
recording (For an introduction to the Learning Series watch the Session 1 recording from minute 0:05 to 19:54.For Session 1 content start recording at minute 20:14 and watch until the end.)
Featured PMC tool: Birth Center Stakeholder Map (Doc and PDF).
Continuing Education Credits:
Available through 12/31/2023 from the Weitzman Institute.
Session 2: Developing Eligibility Criteria and Collaborative Care Guidelines
Learning objectives:
Discuss barriers and facilitators to effective midwife-physician collaboration and team-based care imposed by structural and systemic factors.
Describe how collaboration helps hospitals deliver respectful care and implement anti-racist policies to support optimal outcomes for people accessing community-based care.
Use a templated tool to establish and document eligibility criteria for midwifery-led care in various care settings including the freestanding birth center and hospital.
Presenters:
Holly Christensen, MSN, CNM; Northern Light Mercy Hospital
Dr. Nikia Grayson, DNP, MSN, MPH, MA, CNM, FNP-C; Chief Clinical Officer at CHOICES Center for Reproductive Health
Dr. Chris Morris, MD; Chief Medical Officer at Diana Health
Co-Facilitator: Amy Romano, MBA, MSN, CNM, FACNM; Founder and CEO, Primary Maternity Care
Co-Facilitator: Brynn Rubinstein, MPH; Consultant, Primary Maternity Care
Session Materials:
Featured PMC tool: Birth Center Eligibility and Midwife-Physician Collaborative Care Guidelines Template (Doc and PDF).
Continuing Education Credits:
Available through 12/31/2023 from the Weitzman Institute.
Session 3: Designing Transport Workflows and Maximizing Collaboration Across Facilities
Learning objectives:
Assess existing systems and infrastructure necessary to support facility-to-facility transfer within the health system, including local emergency transport services.
Identify unique elements of perinatal transfers of birthing or postpartum people, newborns, and dyads.
Develop strategies to support respect and dignity for patients experiencing transfer from community birth.
Use a templated tool to create specific workflows for both urgent and non-urgent antenatal, intrapartum, postpartum, and newborn transfers between facilities.
Presenters:
Melissa Denmark, MA, LM; Smooth Transitions
Julie Moon, CNM, APRN; AABC Birth Center-Focused Neonatal Resuscitation Program
Tim Fisher, M.D., M.H.C.D.S.; BayState Health, NNEPQIN
Co-Facilitator: Amy Romano, MBA, MSN, CNM, FACNM; Primary Maternity Care
Co-Facilitator: Jen Johnson, MS, CNM; Jefferson Health, Primary Maternity Care
Session Materials
Featured PMC tool: Hospital-Birth Center Transfer Agreement (Doc)
Continuing Education Credits:
Available through 12/31/2023 from the Weitzman Institute.
Session 4: Beyond Transfer: Exploring Administrative, Programmatic, and Financial Integration Between Birth Centers and Hospitals
Learning objectives:
Identify potential revenue and efficiency opportunities from deeper integration with community birth providers and facilities, including referral volume, marketing or education/outreach integration, and grant opportunities.
Articulate ways hospitals can use their power to promote sustainability and safety of community birth options.
Discuss trends in value-based care initiatives that integrate community-based services and providers.
Presenters:
Dr. Richard Thigpen, MD, FACOG; Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Ashley Couse, INHC, CBE, CD; Vanderbilt Birth Center / VUMC
Leseliey Welch, MPH, MBA; Birth Center Equity, Birth Detroit
Co-Facilitator: Claudia Jennings; Administrative, Billing and Operations Specialist, Primary Maternity Care
Co-Facilitator: Brynn Rubinstein, MPH; Consultant, Primary Maternity Care
Session Materials:
Continuing Education Credits:
Available through 12/31/2023 from the Weitzman Institute.
Session 5: Preventing and Learning from Sentinel Events
Learning objectives:
Articulate the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers (CABC) definition of sentinel event and describe related reporting requirements for accredited birth centers.
Access American Association of Birth Center (AABC) consensus standards for birth center continuous quality improvement, patient safety, and emergency preparedness.
Interpret trends and implications from data reported to CABC about sentinel events in accredited birth centers.
Discuss ways hospitals can collaborate with birth centers to minimize sentinel events and support system improvement and team resilience when sentinel events do occur.
Presenters:
Dr. Susan Stapleton, CNM, DNP, FACNM; Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers (CABC)
Dr. Dale Reisner, MD, Smooth Transitions
Melissa Denmark, MA, LM; Smooth Transitions
Tim Fisher, M.D., M.H.C.D.S.; BayState Health, NNEPQIN
Co-Facilitator: Alexa Dougherty, CNM, PHN, MSN; Clinical Operations Specialist
Co-Facilitator: Amy Romano, MBA, MSN, CNM, FACNM; Primary Maternity Care
Session Materials:
Continuing Education Credits:
Available through 12/31/2023 from the Weitzman Institute.
Session 6: Planning and Conducting Effective Emergency Drills for Community Birth
Learning objectives:
Articulate the importance of clinical drills and simulations to support emergency preparedness in community birth settings.
List ways hospitals can support effective emergency preparedness activities for birth centers, including participation in drills and simulations.
Review the benefits and limitations of small-group, full-team, and cross-facility drills.
Discuss methods for debriefing drill experiences and leveraging them for improved teamwork and safety.
Presenters:
Amy Romano MBA, MSN, CNM, FACNM; Founder and CEO, Primary Maternity Care
Jen Johnson, MS, CNM; Jefferson Health, Consultant Primary Maternity Care
Sarah Stetina, APRN-FPA, CNM; Director of Midwifery, Burr Ridge Birth Center
Facilitator: Alexa Dougherty, CNM, PHN, MSN; Clinical Operations Specialist, Primary Maternity Care
Session Materials:
Featured PMC Tool: Step Up Together Drills & Skills Action Collaborative
Continuing Education Credits:
Available through 12/31/2023 from the Weitzman Institute.