Severe Hypertension in Pregnancy Initiative | Kansas Perinatal Quality Collaborative (KPQC)

Background

Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has partnered with the Kansas Perinatal Quality Collaborative (KPQC) to launch maternal health quality initiatives aimed at decreasing maternal morbidity and mortality in our state. In October 2021, Kansas officially enrolled as an Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) state, implementing the Postpartum Discharge Transition patient safety bundle (known in Kansas as the Fourth Trimester Initiative).

According to 2016-2020 KS Maternal Mortality Review Committee data, cardiovascular conditions and hypertension were the first and second leading causes of pregnancy related death in KS. During that same time period, according to Kansas Hospital Discharge Data, approximately 1 in 161 Kansas women who delivered a baby experienced severe maternal morbidity (SMM). Preeclampsia is the second leading cause of SMM in Kansas (Hospital Discharge Data 2022). Recognizing that SMM occurs 100 times more frequently than maternal mortality, it is clear that intentional interventions to address severe hypertension in pregnancy and in the postpartum period are needed.

Furthermore, there is an increased risk for preterm delivery in Kansas in the presence of maternal hypertensive disorder. In 2022, 10.5% of infants were delivered preterm (<37 weeks) in our state. To address optimal health outcomes for these neonates, recommendations for early initiation of lactation as an evidenced-based intervention is imperative.

Our Purpose

To engage and empower patients, their families and support system, providers, and Kansas communities to intentionally improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes with our collective, inspired effort.

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Goals

To decrease maternal morbidity and mortality in Kansas, we will:

Enhance the education of providers, patients, and the community regarding best practice models
Improve utilization of community perinatal collaboratives
Improve communication and collaboration between providers
Engage all maternal health stakeholders
Address disparities in maternal health care

Action Plan

How We Work

Birth facilities who participate in the SHTN in Pregnancy patient safety bundle will receive, at no cost, directional coaching and the provision of this timely and necessary quality improvement project. Free resources, training, technical assistance, and constant collaboration with maternal health leaders across Kansas will be available.

In 2021, Kansas officially enrolled as an Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) state, implementing the Postpartum Discharge Transition patient safety bundle (known in Kansas as the Fourth Trimester Initiative). Becoming an AIM state connects the KPQC with other PQCs across the nation for sharing of ideas and learning opportunities to expand the work. AIM also offers a data center that will allow the KPQC to track performance measures and offers a comparison to the other PQCs enrolled.

To learn more about the SHTN Pregnancy Initiative, download our latest Facts Sheet on the Resources page.

Access more information on our current initiative:

Learning Forums

SHTN Resources

SHTN Stakeholders and Enrolled Facilities

Funding

This initiative is supported by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment with funding through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number #A3049988 and title Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health State Capacity Program.