Maternal Mortality Review Committee reports decline in pregnancy-related deaths in 2023, cites mental health and hemorrhage as leading causes

Oren Duffin, program director for the Health Professions Bureau and executive officer for Idaho's Maternal Mortality Review Committee, presented the MMRC's 2023 report to the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, summarizing case reviews and recommendations.

Duffin said 13 cases were provided to the MMRC for investigation and 11 met the committee's inclusion criteria for pregnancy-associated deaths (death while pregnant or within one year of pregnancy). Of those 11 cases, 5 were determined to be pregnancy-related and 6 were pregnancy-associated but not pregnancy-related. The committee concluded there was no evidence in the records reviewed that medical error or denial of care contributed to the 2023 deaths, and it reported no direct evidence in the cases of discrimination.

The report includes several demographic and cause-of-death findings: 64 percent of the…