Childbirth Connection to Present Inaugural Maternity Care Quality Award to Seton Family of Hospitals

Childbirth Connection announced that the Seton Family of Hospitals (Austin, Texas) won the first Maternity Quality Matters Award. The award will be presented at Childbirth Connection’s 90^th anniversary symposium, Transforming Maternity Care: A High Value Proposition, on Friday, April 3, in Washington, D.C.

Sponsored by UnitedHealthcare, the Maternity Quality Matters Award is given to an organization or agency that demonstrates significant improvement in maternity care quality through measurement of performance, incorporation of evidence-based practice, and responsiveness to the needs of childbearing women and their families, among other criteria.

One hundred twenty of the nation’s foremost health policy experts and maternity care stakeholders – from health plans and purchasers to consumers and clinicians – have been working for more than 18 months on in-depth recommendations to improve the quality and value of maternity care. More than 200 such leaders will convene at the April 3 symposium, where the award will be conferred, to discuss these recommendations and produce a Blueprint for Action to be published later this year. Journalists interested in attending should contact Kat Song at katsong@childbirthconnection.org.

"The end goal of Seton’s perinatal safety initiative is to achieve a zero rate of preventable birth trauma,” said Dr. Frank Mazza, Chief Patient Safety Officer and Associate Chief Medical Officer, Seton Family of Hospitals. "We achieved a dramatic reduction in birth trauma by making continual enhancements to care management and using methods that support evidence-based and consensus-driven obstetrical practices.”

"The Seton Family of Hospitals has demonstrated a deep commitment to improving the quality of maternity care for its patients,” said Pamela Stahl, senior vice president, Women's Health, UnitedHealthcare. "Women’s health initiatives are gaining positive momentum nationwide, and Seton has recognized the importance of bringing quality care and focused attention to the women and children it serves.”

"Seton was chosen as the winner of the first Maternity Quality Matters Award in a competitive field of 35 applicants from across the country,” said Maureen Corry, Executive Director, Childbirth Connection.

The panel of judges was comprised of experts in both health care quality and service provision. Additional information about the award can be found at http://www.childbirthconnection.org/article.asp?ck=10580.

About UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare (www.unitedhealthcare.com) provides a full spectrum of consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services to individuals, public sector employers and businesses of all sizes, including more than half of the Fortune 100 companies. The company organizes access to quality, affordable health care services on behalf of more than 26 million individual consumers, contracting directly with more than 580,000 physicians and care professionals and 4,900 hospitals to offer them broad, convenient access to services nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.

Childbirth Connection

Founded in 1918, Childbirth Connection is a not-for-profit organization working to improve the quality of maternity care through research, education, advocacy and policy. As a voice for the needs and interests of childbearing families, Childbirth Connection uses best research evidence and the results of its periodic surveys to inform policy, practice, education and research.