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Single Dose of Antibiotic Given During Labor Significantly Reduced Risk of Maternal Death or Sepsis
News,
Single Dose of Antibiotic Given During Labor Significantly Reduced Risk of Maternal Death or Sepsis

San Francisco, Calif. ― Sepsis — a severe infection in the body that can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death — is among the top causes of maternal deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It is a life-threatening emergency that is largely... Continue Reading

Date posted02/9/2023


Doctors and Advocates React to Release of Texas Maternal Mortality Review Committee Report
News,
Doctors and Advocates React to Release of Texas Maternal Mortality Review Committee Report

AUSTIN, TX – Yesterday, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee (MMMRC) jointly released a report containing the MMMRC’s findings and recommendations for addressing the state’s maternal health crisis.... Continue Reading

Date posted12/16/2022


Updated ICD-10 Indications for The Performance Of A Fetal Echocardiogram
Updated ICD-10 Indications for The Performance Of A Fetal Echocardiogram

In the November 2021 issue of the American Journal of Perinatology, ICD-10 indications for Fetal Echocardiogram and Detailed First Trimester Obstetric Ultrasound were published. The abstract was authored by the SMFM Coding Committee and is based on indications published by AIUM and other national... Continue Reading

Date posted12/7/2022


Obstetric Care Professionals Urge: The Time for Influenza Vaccination is Now
News,
Obstetric Care Professionals Urge: The Time for Influenza Vaccination is Now

Flu season is here, and many parts of the country are already seeing unprecedented levels of influenza-like illness and confirmed influenza infection. That is why, collectively, the American Academy of Family Physicians; American College of Nurse-Midwives; American College of Obstetricians and... Continue Reading

Date posted11/23/2022


Ultrasound Storage of Images and Documentation Within Reports
Ultrasound Storage of Images and Documentation Within Reports

Coding Tip: Ultrasound Storage of Images and Documentation Within Reports Complete documentation of work performed is a central tenet of optimal care and communication between medical teams. The ultrasound report serves as an instrument of communication between providers and acts as... Continue Reading

Date posted10/24/2022


Billing Scenarios for imaging and aneuploidy screening in the first trimester
Billing Scenarios for imaging and aneuploidy screening in the first trimester

The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) Coding Committee: Vanita Jain, MD; Amie Hollard, MD; Steve Rad MD; Trish Malisch, CCS-P, CPC; Fadi Bsat, MD. Testing for chromosome abnormalities should be an informed patient choice, based on information from a medical provider accounting for the... Continue Reading

Date posted10/20/2022


Aneuploidy Screening in Twin Pregnancies
Aneuploidy Screening in Twin Pregnancies

Brar B, Iriye B, and the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine Practice Management & Coding Committees The Problem Over the last four decades, twin pregnancies have increased from 18.9 per 1,000 births in 1980 to 32.6 per 1,000 births in 2018. (1) With this increase in incidence... Continue Reading

Date posted10/18/2022


Coding Obesity in Pregnancy - Updated
Coding Obesity in Pregnancy - Updated

If a patient has a diagnosis of obesity (BMI ≥ 30) O99.21__ (obesity complicating pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium) is an accepted indication for a detailed fetal anatomy survey (CPT 76811) according to published guidelines. To determine BMI in a pregnancy affected by obesity, we... Continue Reading

Date posted08/18/2022


Utah medical professionals support the right to legal abortion
News,
Utah medical professionals support the right to legal abortion

Utah law removes women from their proper role as decision makers Comprehensive reproductive health care includes abortion care. There is ample evidence that timely access to safe and legal abortion improves health outcomes, and barriers to access worsen outcomes. These harms have an especially... Continue Reading

Date posted08/13/2022


SMFM Joined 75+ Health Care Groups to Oppose Legislative Interference in Patient-Clinician Affairs
News,
SMFM Joined 75+ Health Care Groups to Oppose Legislative Interference in Patient-Clinician Affairs

Washington, D.C.—The following is a statement from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Medical Association, joined by the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine; American Academy of Family Physicians; American Academy of Nursing; American Academy of... Continue Reading

Date posted07/7/2022


Maternal Health Specialists Issue Joint Statement on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization
News,
Maternal Health Specialists Issue Joint Statement on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization

As organizations representing health care professionals specializing in the provision of maternal care, we join together to denounce the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. This decision promises to severely limit many of our members' ability to provide high-quality,... Continue Reading

Date posted06/24/2022


Pregnancy Experts Warn, Restricting Access to Abortion Care Harms Women and Families
News,
Pregnancy Experts Warn, Restricting Access to Abortion Care Harms Women and Families

June 24, 2022, Washington, DC – The Society for Maternal-Fetal (SMFM) released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, a case in which the State of Mississippi asked the Supreme Court to uphold its 15- week... Continue Reading

Date posted06/24/2022