HaysMed Receives “Birthing Friendly” Designation
Congratulations to the HaysMed Birthing Center for receiving a “Birthing Friendly” designation.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced its first-ever “Birthing-Friendly” designation to describe high-quality maternity care. The designation identifies hospitals and health systems that participate in a statewide or national perinatal quality improvement collaborative program and implement evidence-based care to improve maternal health.
“The staff in the Birthing Center is dedicated to improving maternal health, with Kristy Schlaefli, Director of Acute Care and Obstetrics, Kalin LaBarge, Clinical Supervisor of Women Infant Care, and Jessica Seib, Birthing Center Development Coordinator leading this exemplary HaysMed team” said Terry Siek, Vice President of Patient Care/Chief Nursing Officer.
HaysMed provides optimal care to women and their infants during one of life’s most pivotal moments, including LaBarge and Seib, who are certified in inpatient obstetric nursing (RNC-OB) from the National Certification Corporation, recognizing their knowledge, skills, and expertise in providing exceptional care to expectant mothers and their newborns.The Birthing Center works collaboratively with the healthcare team to identify and address any potential complications that may arise during labor and delivery and are also knowledgeable about breastfeeding support, postpartum care, and newborn care, ensuring a smooth transition into the postpartum period.
To earn the “Birthing Friendly” designation, hospitals and health systems report their progress on CMS’s Maternal Morbidity Structural Measure to the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program. The measure identifies whether a hospital or health system has participated in a statewide or national perinatal quality improvement collaborative program; and, implemented evidence-based quality interventions in hospital settings to improve maternal health.
HaysMed’s listing on CMS’s website, Care Compare, now includes the pink mother-and-baby icon, denoting the hospital’s Birthing-Friendly status.
To view other designated “Birthing Friendly” hospitals, visit, https://data.cms.gov/provider-data/birthing-friendly-hospitals-and-health-systems
About HaysMed
Hays Medical Center (HaysMed) is a private, not-for-profit, 200+ bed hospital providing the only tertiary level services in the region. The hospital is NIAHO-accredited by DNV Healthcare and ISO Certified. As the premier provider in western Kansas for specialized care, HaysMed offers a wide variety of specialty programs including cardiology, orthopedics, cancer, surgery (general, minimally invasive and robotic), ENT, pulmonology, critical care and women’s services. HaysMed is a Level III Trauma Center, an accredited Chest Pain Center with PCI, a Primary Stroke Center and a Certified Hip and Knee Replacement Center of Excellence by DNV GL Healthcare. In addition, HaysMed has earned advanced certification in Infection Prevention.
Other services include in patient rehabilitation, hospice, neonatal, intensive care and diagnostic imaging, as well as a Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Center and a Sleep and Neurodiagnostic Center. In 2022, HaysMed was named as one of the top 20 rural and community hospitals in the country by the National Rural Health Association. Learn more at haysmed.com.
