AR HB1441

The Department of Health shall establish a multidisciplinary Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes Quality Review Committee to review birth data and develop strategies for improving birth outcomes.

The committee shall create unified messaging and strategies, develop care level recommendations for birthing facilities, establish continuous quality improvement systems, and disseminate findings to policymakers and healthcare providers.

Healthcare providers, facilities, and pharmacies must provide reasonable access to medical records for cases under committee review and are protected from civil or criminal liability for good faith record sharing.

All committee proceedings, records, reports, and member opinions are confidential, not admissible as evidence in legal proceedings, and exempt from the Freedom of Information Act, with limited exceptions for information from independent sources.

Beginning in 2020, the committee shall file annual written reports by December 31 to the Senate and House Committees on Public Health, Welfare, and Labor and the Legislative Council, containing only aggregate data without identifying specific facilities or providers.