H.R. 4995

Excellence in Maternal Health Act of 2020

This bill expands initiatives to address maternal health in rural areas and promote innovation in the field.

Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish rural obstetric networks for improving outcomes in birth and maternal morbidity through collaboration, training, and program evaluation.

HHS also must award demonstration program grants to (1) train physicians, medical residents, and other practitioners to provide maternal and obstetric services in rural communities; and (2) support academic programs that develop or provide training to improve maternal care in rural areas. Further, the bill adds maternal health services as part of the telehealth network and telehealth resource centers grant programs.

The bill also makes a series of changes to the research and reporting requirements of HHS with respect to data on maternal health outcomes.

Additionally, the bill establishes grants to (1) develop best practices to reduce preventable maternal mortality; (2) train health care professionals about reducing and preventing discrimination when providing maternal health services; (3) support perinatal quality collaboratives in states, tribes, or tribal organizations to improve perinatal care and health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women; and (4) establish evidence-informed, integrated health care services for pregnant and postpartum women and their infants.

HHS also must contract with an independent research organization to study and make recommendations to accredited school training programs about discrimination and implicit and explicit biases.