Bill
HB 1869
Arkansas creates a statewide Maternal Outcomes Management System to coordinate resources, educate providers, collect data, designate hospitals, and fund gaps in care.
Status
- Introduced: January 15, 2025 (Rep. L. Johnson; Sen. Irvin sponsor)
- Amended: April 7, 2025
- Passed Legislature: April 14, 2025
- Enrolled and transmitted to Governor: April 15, 2025
- Notification: Listed as Act 868 (April 17, 2025)
- Contingent elements depend on appropriation
Purpose / Intent
The bill creates a statewide Maternal Outcomes Management System (MOMS) within the Arkansas Department of Health (DOH) to organize maternal health resources, educate clinicians and patients, incentivize evidence-based practices, collect maternal health data, and improve perinatal outcomes across the state.
Key provisions and changes
- New statutory subchapter (20-16-2601 et seq.) establishing the Maternal Outcomes Management System within DOH and stating legislative intent.
- DOH duties under MOMS include:
- Researching and organizing maternal health resources and maintaining them on the DOH website (examples: Medicaid enrollment, lactation education, provider access, transportation, maternal health education, local supports).
- Providing education to patients and clinicians on maternal health issues.
- Collecting maternal health data from birthing/delivery hospitals in coordination with the Arkansas Hospital Association and Department of Human Services to identify improvement opportunities and promote best practices.
- Developing a platform for structured peer review and coordinating care across the service continuum.
- Implementing activities contingent on available funding.
- Grant program and designation system for birthing/delivery hospitals (§20-16-2603):
- DOH to establish a grant program with a hospital designation system based on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) levels of maternal care as of January 1, 2025.
- DOH to accept applications, set review/renewal timelines and determine designation conditions.
- Hospitals organized into regional groups for regular meetings, regional peer review, and performance feedback.
- Minimum grant qualification requirements include community outreach, clinician education, peer review of birthing/delivery complications, regional meeting participation, an on-site maternal health coordinator, local site visits, and achievement of clinical metrics consistent with evidence-based practices.
- Grants are to be distributed to provide the greatest financial support to hospitals with the fewest resources.
- DOH may promulgate implementing rules.
- MOMS Care Connect (§20-16-2604):
- Establishment of a coordinating call center to operate in conjunction with the Arkansas Trauma Call Center to coordinate inter-hospital transfers of pregnant women to appropriate levels of care.
- Postpartum Support Hotline (§20-16-2605):
- Separate call center to proactively contact mothers after delivery, possibly in partnership with other state entities or higher-education institutions.
- Screening by standardized questionnaire for mental well-being, follow-up care access, lactation/feeding concerns, infant sleep, and certain medical conditions.
- Connects mothers directly to needed resources and referrals.
Who is affected
- Birthing and delivery hospitals (designation, grant eligibility, new reporting/peer-review and staffing expectations).
- Pregnant and postpartum people across Arkansas (improved resource access, proactive outreach, coordinated transfers).
- Clinicians and hospital administrators (education, peer review participation, meeting clinical metrics).
- Department of Health, Arkansas Hospital Association, Department of Human Services (data-sharing and coordination roles).
- Underserved/rural hospitals that may receive prioritized grant funds.
Potential impacts and considerations
- Expected benefits: improved coordination of maternal care, standardized levels-of-care designations, focused support for resource-limited hospitals, enhanced data collection to drive quality improvements, and proactive postpartum support.
- Implementation depends on funding appropriations; program scale and pace will vary with budget decisions.
- Administrative burdens: hospitals must meet operational requirements (coordinator, peer review, data submission) to qualify for grants.
- Regionalization: use of ACOG maternal care levels and transfer coordination may centralize higher-acuity care to designated centers.
Related/Other
- Companion bill: SB 902 (companion)
- DOH rulemaking authority provided to implement the grant/designation program.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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