Sec. 6. Postpartum care coordination pilot program
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Title III of the Public Health Service Act is amended by inserting after section 330N (as added by section 3) the following: The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, and in consultation with experts representing a variety of clinical specialties, including obstetrics and gynecology, State, Tribal, or local public health officials, , and in coordination with existing efforts to address postpartum care, including activities conducted under section 330H, shall establish a program to award competitive grants to not more than 10 eligible entities for the purpose of— identifying and disseminating best practices to improve care and outcomes for women, including women with chronic health conditions prepregnancy and those with ongoing pregnancy-related conditions, in the postpartum period of at least one year following birth, which may include— information on evidence-based and evidence-informed practices to improve the quality of care; best practices for connecting women to primary or specialized care, including behavioral health services, in the postpartum period; information on addressing social and clinical determinants of health that impact women in the postpartum period; and information on the most appropriate course of care during the postpartum period, including continued access to maternity care providers and ways to strengthen capabilities of primary care providers and specialists, including cardiologists and endocrinologists to recognize and treat conditions that may result from or be exacerbated by pregnancy; collaborating with State-based maternal mortality review committees, State-based perinatal quality care collaboratives and other relevant initiatives to— identify risk factors and systems issues for the development of best practices; and disseminate best practices; providing technical assistance and supporting the implementation of best practices identified in paragraph
(1)to entities and providers providing health care and social support services to postpartum women; identifying, developing, and evaluating new models of care that improve maternal health outcomes, which may include the integration of community-based services, behavioral health, and clinical care, including interprofessional education for team-based care; and developing condition-specific consumer materials directed toward women to help them better manage their physical and behavioral health in the postpartum period. To be eligible for a grant under subsection (a), an entity shall— submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require; and demonstrate in such application that the entity is capable of carrying out data-driven maternal safety and quality improvement initiatives in the areas of obstetrics and gynecology or maternal health. Not later than January 1, 2025, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives, and make publicly available, a report concerning the impact of the programs established or continued under this section. To carry out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025. .