Birth Center Regulations
This article in the Post-Dispatch identifies a regulatory barrier to opening birth centers in Missouri:
Another challenge in Missouri is the state’s licensing requirements for birth centers, which Henman and others are trying to change[.] Birth centers are licensed as ambulatory surgical centers even though no surgeries take place. Many of the requirements are expensive and unnecessary, says nurse midwife Rachel Williston, 34, who wants to open a birth center in Independence, Mo.
Complying with all the regulations for ambulatory surgical centers is no simple task. The regulations can make the difference between a facility being profitable enough to operate and being forced to close. This was evident in 2007, when Missouri law was changed to impose the ambulatory surgical center regulations on abortion clinics, which challenged the law in court. They argued that imposing such onerous regulations was a ploy to shut them down.
It’s unfair to regulate birth centers the same way as surgery centers, when no one performs surgery in them. Women can legally give birth at home, and their houses need not meet all the code specifications of a surgery center. Births in birth centers should be regulated more like births in homes.
Sarah, I completely agree. Thank you for bringing this subject to light. Hopefully regulators will see the importance of lessening these strict regulations which do not apply to birth centers so more women can have this kind of option for out-of-hospital birth in Missouri.
Comment by Genevieve — March 12, 2010 @ 11:24 a.m.
This is a very important issue. Every national organization involved in recommendations regarding birth centers, including the American Public Health Association, states that birth centers are NOT ambulatory surgical centers.
Lobbyists for the Missouri Medical Association, and the Hospital Association, seeing birth centers as competition, have a lot at stake to keep birth centers out of our state. The Friends of Missouri Birth Centers received word today that all requests for regulation changes-to bring our state in line with national standards- have been flatly denied. This includes an amendment to allow all legal birth service providers to practice in birth centers (CPMs were recently legalized in Missouri and are not listed in the regs). We will work to get this issue resolved. It is a case of restraint of trade, using financial disincentives to limit the ability of small businesses to enter the market.
The worst thing is that in this case, the small businesses that are being targeted aren’t gift shops or car washes, they are health providers that might actually help our state’s abysmal health record for mothers and babies.
Comment by Jessica — March 12, 2010 @ 4:05 p.m.