The Maryland Perinatal System Standards were originally developed in the mid-1990s by a Maryland Department of Health advisory committee as a set of voluntary standards for Maryland hospitals providing obstetric and neonatal services. The Standards have since been incorporated into the regulations for designation of perinatal referral centers (Level III and Level IV hospitals) by the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) , as well as the Maryland Health Care Commission’s State Plan regulations for obstetrical units and neonatal intensive care units.
The Maryland Department of Health reconvened its Perinatal Clinical Advisory Committee (a multidisciplinary committee representing Maryland State agencies, professional organizations, and delivery hospitals) to fully review and update the Standards in 1997, 2004, 2008, and 2013. These updates were in response to the publication of guidelines and policies by national professional organizations. Most recently, the Perinatal Clinical Advisory Committee was reconvened in 2018 to revise the Standards in order to be consistent with the 8th edition of the Guidelines for Perinatal Care, issued in 2017 jointly by the
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). The current Standards are available at the link below.
The 2018 Standards incorporate language updates throughout the document. Major changes include changes to the Standard XII, formerly called Performance Improvement, now titled Quality Improvement. In addition, the following new Standards have been added:
4.12 6.6 8.2 10.5 13.11 13.14
4.13 6.8 8.3 11.3 13.12 13.15
5.6 7.8 9.2 11.4 13.13
The Maryland Department of Health has formed an ad-hoc Perinatal Clinical Advisory Committee to review and revise the Perinatal System Standards of Care. Meeting are open to the public and can be accessed via the video call links below:
1) Thursday, February 29, 2024: 10:00am - 12:00pm
Or dial: (US) +1 219-321-0543 PIN: 114 717 126#
2) Thursday, March 14, 2024: 10:00am - 12:00pm
Or dial: (US) +1 636-324-2759 PIN: 108 273 875#
3) Thursday, March 28, 2024: 10:00am - 12:00pm
Or dial: (US) +1 470-241-4772 PIN: 640 284 802#
4) Thursday, April 11, 2024: 10:00am - 12:00pm
Thursday, April 11 · 10:00am – 12:00pm
Or dial: (US) +1 614-401-8575 PIN: 487 671 591#
5) Thursday, April 25, 2024: 10:00am - 12:00pm
Or dial: (US) +1 336-914-1105 PIN: 958 688 626#
For questions regarding the Maryland Perinatal System Standards, please contact:
S. Lee Woods, MD, PhD
410-767-6713
Lee.Woods@Maryland.gov
