S.116 Modernizing Obstetric Medicine Standards Act of 2019, or the “MOMS Act”
REINTRODUCED BY: SENATOR KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D-NY) – JAN 2019
The MOMS Act is comprised of three components aimed at reducing pregnancy complications and deaths:
- Authorize and expand the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) Program at HHS through 2023. This program will facilitate the implementation of standardized, evidence-based processes, or “maternal safety bundles” to prevent, identify, and appropriately respond to pregnancy-related complications and help reduce maternal mortality and morbidity.
- Create a grant program to help states and hospitals implement the maternal safety best practices. This grant program will consist of $40 million in funds to help states and hospitals purchase the necessary supplies and training materials to implement the practices developed by the AIM program.
- Improve reporting on pregnancy-related and pregnancy-associated deaths and complications. HHS will encourage states to voluntarily submit a yearly report with findings from a state Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) on maternal deaths. Improvements in reporting will be conducted by incorporating reports from state MMRC investigations to the CDC’s Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System and by providing technical assistance so that MMRCs can investigate cases of pregnancy-related complications and maternal morbidity.
Co-sponsors: Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Kamala Harris (D-CA)