Rural maternity and obstetrics management strategies program - rwhc's maternity services workgroup aims to develop and implement a network approach to maximize the ongoing supply and quality of…

The Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration awarded $999,869 to Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative on September 30, 2026, under the Rural Maternity Obstetric Management Strategies Program (CFDA 93.912).

Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative will develop and implement a network approach to maximize the supply and quality of maternity services across rural Wisconsin through its Maternity Services Workgroup. Planned activities include developing creative maternity service delivery models, with network participants cross-training rural nursing staff, establishing functional relationships with midwives focused on patient safety, and investigating sustainable provider staffing models centered on collaboration. The network will implement telehealth services including tele-NICU, tele-maternal fetal medicine, and provider-to-provider specialist telehealth consults where appropriate, and will examine opportunities for retaining maternal health services such as lactation support, childbirth education, and perinatal mental health support in facilities without labor and delivery services.

Quality improvement activities will include engaging a traveling quality team of network staff to collect and analyze quality data, develop a toolkit of best practices through member engagement, and implement those practices across the network. Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative will serve as a repository for patient safety guidelines, standards of care, diversion guidelines, and training requirements, and will provide educational programming in the form of workshops, simulations, drills, and multi-disciplinary learning focused on patient care and safety.

Performance occurs in Sauk City, Wisconsin, with a period of performance extending from September 30, 2026, to September 29, 2030.

Rural maternity and obstetrics management strategies program - rwhc's maternity services workgroup aims to develop and implement a network approach to maximize the ongoing supply and quality of maternity services in rural wisconsin. Through the activities below we will see improved workforce stability, improved patient outcomes, improved financial stability, and improved coordination among rural care providers. Planned activities include: develop and deploy creative maternity service delivery models network participants will develop a rural nursing model focused on cross training, work to establish and deepen functional relationships with midwives focused on patient safety, and investigate sustainable provider staffing models focused on collaboration. Participants will consider implementation of services such as tele-nicu, tele-MFM and provider to provider specialist telehealth consults when appropriate. Finally, network participants will examine opportunities for retaining maternal health services such as lactation support, childbirth education, perinatal mental health support, etc. In facilities without labor and delivery services. Improve the quality and safety of care network participants will engage with a traveling quality team of network staff focused on collecting quality data, analyzing quality data, and working collaboratively on quality improvement. This quality team will develop a toolkit of best practices through member engagement and work to implement best practices with network members. Network participants may engage as desired in educational programming in the form of workshops, simulations, drills, higher education partnerships and multi-disciplinary learning focused on patient care and safety provided by network staff. Rwhc will serve as a repository and subject matter expert on patient safety guidelines, standards of care, diversion guidelines, drills, training requirements and orientation guidelines. Participants will consider implementation of maternal care coordination, self-monitored blood pressure, perinatal mental health supports, gestational diabetes supports, substance use treatment, and other clinical supports as appropriate. Finally, network participants will consider how to impact quality determinants originating outside of hospital walls such as transportation, post-birth alert bands, and food access. Reimbursement reform and payer negotiation network participants may focus on negotiation of obstetrical bundles with payers when advantageous; they may also negotiate separating billing for prenatal and postpartum care from labor and delivery to facilitate partnerships among neighboring hospitals. Credentialing reform focused on allowing for a more flexible workforce that is credentialed upon the basis of the competency of providers, not their practice location, may be undertaken by participants. Cooperation among rural neighbors the network will develop a provider mentorship program to network together peers across rural facilities for support, shared learning and retention. The network will continue to expand rural GME opportunities in wisconsin, in collaboration with higher education institutions, in order to "grow our own" provider pipeline. Network participants will consider expanding clinical placements when practical to expand the rural maternal care workforce. Partnerships between neighboring hospitals with and without labor and delivery units to allow for the seamless transition of care for patients will be explored. Joint examination of rural-specific provider reimbursement models will occur to ensure appropriate incentivization of rural practice. Our target population is all rural residents in need of maternal or obstetrical care within the proposed service area including southwest wisconsin, northwest wisconsin, and door county. Our network members are the rural hospitals and clinics within these geographic regions, with the addition of UW to serve as a tertiary care provider to our network hospitals.