Maternal Mortality Review (MMR) Program

Background
The Maryland Maternal Mortality Review (MMR) Program was established in 2000 when Health-General Article, §13-1201 through §13-1207, Annotated Code of Maryland was enacted. The statute requires:
  1. Identification of maternal death cases;
  2. Review of medical records and other relevant data;
  3. Determination of preventability of death;
  4. ​Development of recommendations for the prevention of maternal deaths; and
  5. ​Dissemination of findings and recommendations to policymakers, health care providers, health care facilities and the public. 
Maternal Mortality Review in Maryland

The Maryland Department of Health’s (MDH) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) collaborates with the Department’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the Vital Statistics Administration to identify maternal death cases and to obtain vital records information for case reviews. MCHB also provides a grant to Maryland Patient Safety Center (MPSC)​ to provide administrative support to the Maternal Mortality Review Program. MPSC assists in obtaining medical records, abstracting cases, and hosting meetings of the Department’s Maternal Mortality Review Team, a group of clinical and public health experts and community representatives from across the State.  Since 2001,case reviews have been conducted to investigate all deaths of Maryland resident individuals during pregnancy or up to one year after the conclusion of pregnancy from any cause and to identify opportunities to prevent future deaths.

Maternal Mortality Review Stakeholder Group
House Bill 1518, enacted by the 2018 Maryland General Assembly, established a Maternal Mortality Review Stakeholder Group to meet at least twice a year, to review the findings and recommendations in the annual Maternal Mortality Review Report. This group includes representatives of the Maryland Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities; the Maryland Patient Safety Center; the Maryland Healthy Start Program; women’s health advocacy organizations; community organizations engaged in maternal health and family support issues; families that have experienced a maternal death; local health departments; and providers of maternal health services.
 
The MMR Stakeholder Group is charged with examining issues resulting in disparities in maternal deaths, reviewing the status of implementation of previous recommendations, and identifying new recommendations with a focus on initiatives to address disparities in maternal deaths. The MMR Stakeholder Group met for the first time on March 25, 2019. Meetings of the MMR Stakeholder Group are open to the public. Dates for upcoming meetings as well as meeting agendas and minutes are available at the link to the right.​​​​

Links to Additional Information and Resources

​ ​MMR Links


Maternal Mortality Review Stakeholder Group


​​Maternal Mortality Review  Meetings


Maternal Mortality Review Reports

 

 
Maternal Mortality Review Reports can also be found on the Prevention and Health Promotion Administration 
Reports by Topic  website under 'MATERNAL MORTALITY'.
 

 

Maternal Mortality Review Stakeholder Group


 For information or questions regarding the Maryland Maternal Mortality Review Program, please contact Nina Martin at:  (410) 767-5602 or nina.martin@maryland.gov.

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