Purpose of the Bill

The bill aims to expand health studies focused on maternal health by including severe maternal morbidity along with maternal death. The goal is to improve healthcare systems and reduce preventable adverse maternal outcomes and deaths in Minnesota.

Main Provisions

• Expanded Study Scope: The bill directs the Minnesota Commissioner of Health to include maternal morbidity in their studies, which covers significant short or long-term health consequences from unexpected labor or delivery outcomes.
• Access to Data: The commissioner can access a wide range of medical and related records without needing consent, including medical and health records, substance use treatment, and law enforcement reports relevant to women who died or experienced morbidities during or within 12 months of pregnancy.
• Data Management: Collected data must be transferred to separate records and source records must be destroyed, preserving confidentiality of the subjects involved.
• Data Confidentiality: Information used in these studies is classified as confidential and cannot be used in legal proceedings, although summary data that doesn’t identify individuals may be made public.
• Review Committee: The creation of a Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Review Committee is mandated to review data, make recommendations, and share summary information publicly. The committee will include various stakeholders like medical practitioners and community representatives.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• This bill modifies current Minnesota statutes by expanding the health studies from solely maternal deaths to also include severe maternal morbidity.
• It increases the types of data accessible to the commissioner for conducting comprehensive health studies on maternal outcomes.
• Establishing a Review Committee formalizes the process of reviewing and advising on maternal health issues to create public policy recommendations.

Relevant Terms

maternal morbidity, maternal mortality, health studies, commissioner of health, data access, privacy, Review Committee, healthcare systems, adverse maternal outcomes, public health.