The risk managers role in building comprehensive obstetric safety programs

The United States has the highest rate of maternal mortality of all industrialized countries. Maternal mortality is considered the "tip of the iceberg" and about 80% of cases are considered preventable. Approximately, 60,000 birthing people experience severe maternal morbidity each year. These cases provide hospitals an opportunity to identify areas to improve the quality and safety of care provided. Due to the highly specialized nature of obstetric care, the specialty is fraught with risk and associated with the most paid claims driving high organizational overhead costs related to legal defense, awards, and settlements. Risk Managers are well-positioned to support their organizations in improving the safety of perinatal care by advocating for the need to prioritize and intentionally focus and invest resources toward mitigating obstetric risk. This paper provides an overview of the strategies risk managers can deploy to support the development of a comprehensive obstetric safety program that can decrease malpractice claims, reduce health care costs, and ultimately improve patient outcomes specifically, via a proactive perinatal risk assessment.