ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Phoenix, Arizona
pregnancy associated
mortality review committee
Purpose
Establishes the Pregnancy
Associated Mortality Review Committee (Committee) to review cases of women who
died while pregnant or within one year of ending a pregnancy and to educate the
public on ways to reduce pregnancy-related fatalities.
Background
According to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a pregnancy-associated death is the death
of a woman while pregnant or within one year of ending a pregnancy. The leading
causes of pregnancy-associated death include bleeding, infection and high blood
pressure during pregnancy. Domestic
violence, unintentional injuries and lack of prenatal care are also attributing
factors of pregnancy-association deaths.
From 1996 to 1998, there
were 26 pregnancy-associated deaths in this State. Additionally, the number of deaths attributed to pregnancy and
its complications is estimated to be 1.3 to 3 times greater than reported in
vital statistics records due to misclassification. Finally, according to the CDC, about half of all
pregnancy-associated deaths could be prevented through early diagnosis and
appropriate medical care of pregnancy complications.
According to a 1998 issue of the CDC’s Morbidity Mortality Weekly Report, 25 states have established maternal mortality review committees that review factors that may have contributed to pregnancy-associated deaths, including the quality of medical care, access to and use of services and behaviors during pregnancy. In addition, Healthy Arizona 2010 supports enhanced surveillance of pregnancy-associated deaths including developing a strategy for examining maternal morbidity and mortality and analyzing causes of morbidity as well as related complications.
S.B. 1155 establishes the
Committee in the Department of Health Services (DHS) to review the
circumstances of women who died while pregnant or within one year of ending a
pregnancy. Of the 16 members appointed
to the Committee, 13 are eligible for subsistence and travel expenses. DHS estimates the cost of this bill to be
approximately $75,000 for expenses, an epidemiologist and part-time clerical
assistance.
Provisions
1. Establishes the 16 members Committee to:
a.
Develop
a data collection system and review the circumstances of each woman who died
while pregnant or within a year after ending a pregnancy.
b.
Study
the adequacy of state laws, training and services to reduce the incidence of
preventable maternal deaths.
c.
Educate
the public on ways to reduce the incidences and causes of pregnancy-related
fatalities.
d.
Conduct
an annual statistical report on pregnancy fatalities and submit a copy by
November 15 each year to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker
of the House of Representatives and the Director of DHS.
e.
Select
a chairman from among its membership.
2. Prescribes the membership for the Committee.
3. Specifies members are not eligible for compensation except that 13 members are eligible for reimbursement of subsistence and travel expenses.
4. Requires, on request, medical, dental or mental health care providers, state agencies and law enforcement agencies (with the approval of a prosecutor) to provide the Committee with information and records regarding a maternal death.
5. Allows DHS to petition a court to compel the production of information requested by the Committee.
6. Allows law enforcement agencies to deny production of subpoenaed information if the information relates to a pending criminal investigation or prosecution.
7. Specifies all information collected by the Committee is confidential and not subject to a subpoena, discovery or introduction into evidence.
8. Classifies a violation of the confidential requirement as a class 2 misdemeanor. (This penalty carries jail time up to four months and a fine up to $750.)
9. Excludes Committee members, persons attending Committee meetings and those who present information to the Committee from being questioned about information presented to the Committee in any administrative, civil or criminal proceeding.
10. Specifies the Committee is not subject to the open meetings law when it reviews individual cases.
11. Requires DHS to provide administrative support to the Committee.
12. Provides for a general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Staff
February 1, 2002