Kansas Senate Bill SB118

Kansas 2023-2024 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/30/23
• Refer: 1/31/23
• Failed: 4/30/24

Caption

Expanding the duties of the secretary of health and environment when investigating maternal deaths to include promoting continuity of care, helping develop performance measures and establishing an external review committee to study cases and make recommendations to prevent maternal deaths.

Impact

The implications of SB 118 extend to state legislation surrounding health data and maternal health initiatives. It aims to promote continuity of care during pregnancy and after childbirth by mandating collaboration with healthcare providers to develop effective performance measures that address maternal health. The bill highlights the importance of building a comprehensive understanding of maternal deaths by combining various data sources, which may facilitate targeted policy action to improve maternal health outcomes in Kansas.

Summary

Senate Bill 118 seeks to enhance the duties of the Secretary of Health and Environment in investigating maternal deaths in Kansas. The bill lays out a framework for collecting and analyzing data related to maternal deaths, which includes access to law enforcement and medical records. The primary aim is to understand and ultimately reduce maternal mortality rates in the state through comprehensive data analysis and research. It establishes a requirement for the regular compilation of aggregate data that is stripped of individual identifiers to ensure confidentiality and focus on aggregate trends in maternal health outcomes.

Contention

While SB 118 appears to be a proactive measure for improving maternal health systems, there may be potential points of contention regarding data privacy and the extent of government oversight in healthcare. The bill mandates confidential handling of sensitive medical and personal data related to maternal deaths, which could lead to discussions about the balance between necessary oversight and patient privacy rights. Some stakeholders may raise concerns about ensuring that the investigations remain sensitive to cultural and geographic disparities in maternal healthcare access, highlighting the need for inclusive representation in the review committees stipulated by the bill.