Maternal health > Morbidity data
Morbidity data
Severe maternal morbidity (SMM) is defined as ​“unexpected or severe outcomes during labor and delivery that can result in significant health consequences.” It is one of the most frequently used metrics for monitoring maternal health in the U.S.
As part of statewide efforts to improve maternal health and reduce inequities in birthing outcomes, the Betsy Lehman Center monitors and analyzes trends in SMM across the 40 birthing hospitals in Massachusetts. These trends inform statewide policies and help hospital teams track progress.
Improving SMM data collection
The Betsy Lehman Center is leading an effort to get more timely, actionable data on maternal health into the hands of the care teams that need it. By submitting discharge data on a monthly, rather than quarterly, basis, hospitals can receive SMM analysis within just six to eight weeks.
An evaluation of the program found that this accelerated process does not have a significant impact on workload, and that it helps provider teams focus on quality improvement initiatives.