Quality Care Assurance
How is the Quality of Care Assured in Birth Centers?
- Through the promotion of state regulations for licensure (41 states currently license birth centers)
- Through established National Standards (adopted 1985)
- Through a Continuous Quality Improvement Program for Birth Centers (model program available for purchase)
- Through accreditation by the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers
From the National Birth Center Study
"We conclude that birth centers offer a safe and acceptable alternative to hospital confinement for selected pregnant women, particularly those who have previously had children, and that such care leads to relatively few cesarean sections."
-National Birth Center Study (12.28.89)