AdventHealth for Women Orlando First in Florida Named Level IV Maternal Care Verified Facility by The Joint Commission

AdventHealth for Women Altamonte, Celebration and Winter Park Campuses Named Level II Maternal Care Verified Facilities

AdventHealth for Women Orlando recently became the first facility in Florida to earn a Level IV Maternal Center Designation through The Joint Commission’s Maternal Levels of Care (MLC) Verification program. The highest level awarded, this designation recognizes the ability to provide on-site medical and surgical care of the most complex maternal conditions and critically ill pregnant women and fetuses throughout antepartum, intrapartum and postpartum care. AdventHealth for Women’s Altamonte, Celebration and Winter Park hospitals were verified as Level II facilities, recognizing their ability to care for moderate to high-risk perinatal conditions.

Offered in collaboration with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the MLC Verification program was designed to improve maternal patient outcomes. All four AdventHealth facilities underwent a comprehensive on-site review to verify the level of care provided.

“This is a significant achievement that validates the levels of maternity care we provide to the women we serve,” shares Rizwana Fareeduddin, MD, Executive Medical Director, AdventHealth for Women. “The Joint Commission reviewed our policies, standard operating procedures, multidisciplinary collaboration and workflows, clinical availability, and resources to verify that AdventHealth for Women Orlando provides the highest level of obstetrics care available.”

The MLC Verification program was developed using ACOG’s Levels of Maternal Care Obstetric Care Consensus (OCC) clinical guidance, which includes comprehensive uniform definitions, a standardized description of maternity facility capabilities and personnel, and a framework for integrated systems that address maternal health needs.

“The Joint Commission commends AdventHealth for Women Orlando for being named a Level IV maternal care verified facility and for its efforts to standardize maternal care and reduce maternal morbidity and mortality,” says Mark Pelletier, RN, MD, chief operating officer, Accreditation and Certification Operations, and chief nursing executive, The Joint Commission. “The Maternal Levels of Care Verification program will help AdventHealth for Women strengthen regionalized care for mothers and babies in its community.”

AdventHealth for Women remains committed to improving maternal health outcomes and is currently focused on reducing the c-section rate among low-risk, first-term mothers (nulliparous, term, singleton, vertex/NTSV). C-section delivery increases the risk of uterine rupture and placenta accreta in future pregnancies as well as infection, blood clots, hemorrhage, hysterectomy and maternal death. As part of its work with the Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative’s Postpartum Access & Continuity of Care (PACC) initiative, AdventHealth for Women is also working to reduce readmissions and improve postpartum care. Specific efforts include improving education to women about self-care, post-birth warning signs, risk factors and birth spacing as well as scheduling patients for two-week follow-up visits instead of waiting the traditional six to eight weeks after birth. Additional initiatives are focused on improving care for at-risk populations and addressing social determinants of health.

If you’d like to learn more about these initiatives, contact us here.