Statewide Network Applauds Meritus' Quality of Care for Moms, Babies

Medical center labor and delivery team recognized for advancing maternal and newborn care in Maryland

Meritus Medical Center's Labor, Delivery, Recovery and Postpartum team has earned gold- and silver-level recognition for its work to improve care for mothers and newborns.

The recognition comes from the Maryland Perinatal-Neonatal Quality Collaborative (MDPQC). Meritus participated in two MDPQC programs focused on obstetric hemorrhage, serious bleeding during or after childbirth, and newborn hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar in newborns.

"This recognition shows our team's commitment to providing safe, high-quality care for mothers and babies," said Heather Markell, MSN, RN, CEN, chief nursing officer at Meritus Health. "By sharing data, putting proven safety practices in place and working with other hospitals across Maryland, we've also helped improve the way maternal care is provided across the state."

Hospitals earned recognition based on several measures, including how often they submitted data and took part in MDPQC office hours and coaching calls.

For the Meritus team members, that work included using data to improve care, adopting proven safety practices and working with other hospitals to improve maternal and newborn care across Maryland.

"This is a great example of how teamwork and continuous improvement can make a difference," Markell said. "At the heart of all this work are the mothers, babies and families we serve."

To learn more about how Meritus cares for mothers and newborns, visit www.meritushealth.com/maternity.

MDPQC is a network of perinatal care providers and public health professionals working to improve health outcomes for women and newborns through continuous quality improvement. The Collaborative provides participating birthing hospitals with educational resources, technical assistance and a platform for communication and sharing best practices.