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Legislative panel considers funding perinatal quality collaborative; ACOG and providers voice support
Summary
DPBH proposed an E261 health program specialist to seed a Perinatal Quality Collaborative (PQC) in Nevada, funded in part by opioid settlement dollars; clinicians and medical societies told the committee a PQC focuses on clinical quality improvement and could wrap existing maternal‑health efforts into an umbrella structure.
The Joint Subcommittee on Human Services heard testimony on a proposal to create foundational infrastructure for a Perinatal Quality Collaborative (PQC) in Nevada, including a state coordinator position to organize clinical quality improvement work.
Cody Finney, administrator of the Division of Public and Behavioral Health, described the request as an initial, single health program specialist to serve as the coordinator and to establish data quality measures and deliverables. "This health program specialist position would serve as the coordinator for that collaborative," Finney said.
Vickie Ives, maternal and perinatal expert with DPBH, explained the PQC model is clinically focused and typically led by clinical subject matter experts (neonatologists, obstetricians, maternal‑fetal medicine specialists) with participation from hospitals, community organizations and people with lived experience. "The perinatal quality collaborative has a clinical core... and really focused on quality improvement outcomes that can be shown," Ives said, citing hypertension bundles and other patient‑safety work as examples from other states.
Several committee members asked about duplication with the existing maternal and child health advisory board and whether the PQC would be run by the state or by an external vendor. Ives and Finney said the PQC is meant to complement existing advisory boards by providing a clinically led, quality‑improvement umbrella. DPBH said it would contract for vendor support via a request for proposals and retain a state coordinator to oversee deliverables.
Speaker Yeager and other members asked specifically about funding the PQC using opioid settlement funds. DPBH and clinical witnesses said many PQCs include substance‑related patient safety bundles and that perinatal interventions can be a prevention strategy with long‑term benefits. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (Nevada section) and hospital partners testified in support of funding the PQC and the account for family planning as preventive measures linked to better maternal and neonatal outcomes.
Committee members requested future updates on outcomes and on how opioid settlement funds would align with the statewide opioid plan. DPBH said it will provide deliverables and reporting to the committee.
