FLOWOOD, MS – The United States has the highest maternal death rate among the world’s developed nations and an even higher rate of harm to mothers with more than 50,000 childbirth-related injuries each year.* Since 1990, the number of maternal deaths has risen to 26.4 per 100,000 live births. In Mississippi, that number is 20.8, but even one is one too many. According to a CDC Foundation study, 700 to 900 childbirth-related deaths each year are avoidable, and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi (BCBSMS) is taking steps to make childbirth safer for Mississippi women.
 
Through its Maternity Quality Model, BCBSMS supports hospitals in delivering evidence-based, best-practice care to mothers and babies. The Maternity Quality Model is a statewide quality-improvement initiative in collaboration with Network Hospitals and the Mississippi Perinatal Quality Collaborative (MSPQC) that engages hospitals to reduce maternal and infant harm and death. 
 
As part of its Maternity Quality Model, BCBSMS partnered with the MSPQC to facilitate a series of Network Hospital team training sessions across the state for implementation of clinical best-practice guidelines, known as Maternal Safety Bundles, focused on obstetric hemorrhage (bleeding) and severe hypertension. These bundles were developed by the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM), a national data-driven maternal safety initiative, and are designed to improve the safety of childbirth with a goal of eliminating preventable harm and death. The training sessions brought healthcare professionals from BCBSMS Network Hospitals together to engage in hands-on, simulation-based training scenarios focused on readiness, prevention, treatment and reporting related to obstetric hemorrhage. 
 
“These safety bundles support the goals of reducing gaps in communication, eliminating delays in care and implementing effective treatment strategies through proven methods,” said Dr. Sarah Broom, medical director, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi. 
 
A study in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology found hospitals that have adopted AIM’s Obstetric Hemorrhage Safety Bundle lowered their rates of severe maternal complications due to hemorrhage by nearly 21 percent. 
 
“We are working to improve maternal outcomes in Mississippi,” said Dr. Charlene Collier, director, MSPQC and perinatal health consultant, Mississippi State Department of Health. “These training sessions equip hospitals to ensure their care teams consistently take these evidence-based steps to identify dangerous situations, manage them and, ultimately, save women’s lives.” 
 
As a result of the BCBSMS Maternity Quality Model, five hospitals in the state have achieved Baby-Friendly Hospital Designation and 91 percent of all hospitals in Mississippi that deliver babies are actively working toward achieving or maintaining this quality designation. Also, nearly all elective deliveries before 39 weeks of gestation have been eliminated, and breastfeeding rates have increased significantly from 49 percent in 2015 to 65 percent in 2018.
 
 
Learn more about Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi’s Maternity Quality Model and Women’s Health initiative at www.bcbsms.com/womenshealth.

About Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi is working to transform the the delivery of healthcare and health for Mississippians through partnerships with providers, employers, members and communities across the state. As Mississippi's health and wellness leader, we are among 36 independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans that are members of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.