Kentucky Hospital Association and March of Dimes Recognize The Medical Center at Bowling Green for an Early Elective Delivery Rate of three percent or less

Published October 13, 2016

In 2012, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services launched the Partnership for Patients’ Hospital Engagement Network. Through that program many Kentucky birthing hospitals joined together to reduce the number of elective inductions and cesarean deliveries performed before 39 weeks of pregnancy. The Medical Center at Bowling Green was one of the participating hospitals.

While participating in the Hospital Engagement Network, The Medical Center at Bowling Green significantly reduced the number of early elective deliveries (inductions) and cesarean deliveries performed before 39 weeks of pregnancy. This will give more babies a healthy start in life, the March of Dimes says.

“We’re proud of our expert team of physicians and nurses who improved the delivery of care by putting in place policies to avoid unnecessary C-sections or inductions before 39 weeks of pregnancy, except when medically necessary,” said Connie D. Smith, Chief Executive Officer of The Medical Center at Bowling Green.

“In the last few weeks of pregnancy, the brain, liver and lungs are still developing. So even though your baby may look the right size to be born at 37 weeks, he or she is not quite ready. Electing to have an early delivery may even impact how your child performs in school,” said Jeffery Nemec, M.D., who specializes in obstetrics and gynecology at The Medical Center.

“Babies who survive an early birth often face the risk of lifelong health challenges, such as breathing problems, learning disabilities and others. Even babies born just a few weeks early have higher rates of hospitalization and illness than babies born at 40 weeks. I commend The Medical Center at Bowling Green for being a champion for babies and families. The goal for this project was an early elective delivery rate of 3 percent or less, and the obstetrical team at The Medical Center at Bowling Green was able to achieve this goal,” said Melanie Moch, the KHA Director of Data Collection and Training.

“Kentucky hospitals are always working to raise the bar to improve patient safety and quality improvement efforts. Every year, Kentucky’s 46 birthing hospitals welcome some 53,000 babies into the world and hospitals want these newest citizens to have the healthiest start possible” said Michael T. Rust, president of the Kentucky Hospital Association.

About the Kentucky Hospital Association

The Kentucky Hospital Association was established in 1929 and is a not-for-profit organization of which all Kentucky hospitals are members. The Association represents and facilitates collaborative efforts among Kentucky hospitals and is the source for strategic information about the constantly changing health care environment. KHA is a membership-driven organization that provides proactive leadership to create an environment in which Kentucky hospitals are successful in serving their communities. For more information, go to www.kyha.com

About KIPSQ

The Kentucky Institute for Patient Safety and Quality is a non-profit subsidiary of KHA focusing on the statewide collection and analysis of adverse patient event data from health care providers and the dissemination of recommendations for improvement in care delivery. Based in Louisville, the mission of the federally-certified patient safety organization (PSO) is to improve health care quality and patient safety and provide a learning environment for persons engaged in the delivery of health care services. For more information, visit www.kipsq.org

About the March of Dimes

The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

In 2007, The Kentucky Chapter began a comprehensive pilot program entitled Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait® (HBWW) in partnership with the Kentucky Department for Public Health and Johnson & Johnson. HBWW, now a nationwide effort, addresses the growing problem of premature birth. Kentucky’s preterm birth rate was 11.4 percent in 2014, down from 15.1% in 2006, the year the national rate peaked. Kentucky again earned a “C” on the March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card.

Find out how you can help raise funds to prevent premature birth and birth defects by walking in March for Babies at marchforbabies.org. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.org or nacersano.org.