BCBSA adds health equity standards to maternal care ratings

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association is adding new health-equity focused standards to its Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care designations. 

In a press release published Dec. 14, the association said more than 1,000 hospitals currently have the designation. 

Some of the new health equity standards the association is adding in 2023 include: 

• If the facility provides staff training to address birth-related trauma
• If the facility has received CMS' birthing-friendly hospital designation
• If the facility provides access to cultural humility and unconscious bias training
• If nurse midwives, doulas and birthing centers are included in provider networks

"The only way to receive a Blue Distinction Center designation is through proven results that show patients receive safe, high-quality care," BCBSA CEO Kim Keck said in the news release. "Our new criteria encourage healthcare facilities to not just provide high-quality care, but also take meaningful actions to address the systemic racial disparities that women of color face." 

Read more about the new criteria here.