Statewide Obstetrics System of Care; authorize Board of Health to establish standards for.

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To: Public Health and Human
Services
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Creekmore IV

HOUSE BILL NO. 1133

AN ACT TO AUTHORIZE THE STATE BOARD OF HEALTH TO PROMULGATE 1
RULES AND REGULATIONS TO ESTABLISH STANDARDS FOR A STATEWIDE 2
OBSTETRICS SYSTEM OF CARE; TO SET THE STANDARDS FOR SUCH RULES; TO 3
PROVIDE THAT THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SHALL BE THE LEAD 4
AGENCY FOR OBSTETRICS SYSTEM OF CARE DEVELOPMENT, IMPLEMENTATION 5
AND MANAGEMENT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 6
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 7
SECTION 1. (1) The State Board of Health may promulgate 8
rules and regulations establishing standards for a statewide 9
Obstetrics System of Care ("OB SOC"). The board shall comply with 10
Section 25-43-1.101 et seq., in promulgating such rules and 11
regulations. Such rules and regulations shall be effective on or 12
after July 1, 2027. 13
(2) The State Department of Health shall be designated as 14
the lead agency for OB SOC development, implementation and 15
management. 16
(3) The levels of care shall accurately reflect the current 17
capacities and constraints of each hospital and facility system. 18
The department shall recognize and consider differences in size, 19
resources, patient population, geographies served, and available 20
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specialties, ensuring that the designated level of care aligns 21
with what each system can reliably provide on an ongoing basis. 22
(4) The rules and regulations governing care shall be 23
structured to accommodate the appropriate scopes of practice for 24
all licensed professionals within the health system. This 25
includes clearly delineating what tasks, procedures, and 26
decision-making authority are appropriate for each health care 27
professional at each level of care, while maintaining patient 28
safety and standards of quality, and considering whether hospitals 29
and health systems have the capacity to staff such professionals 30
at a given level of care. The board shall not promulgate a rule 31
or regulation that expands upon or narrows a health care 32
professional's lawful scope of practice under state statute. 33
(5) The department shall develop and implement the 34
Mississippi OB SOC Plan and OB SOC standards, which include, but 35
are not limited to, maternal center and neonatal center 36
designation, field triage of OB patients, inter-facility transfer 37
of OB patients, OB care from initial medical contact through 38
appropriate intervention, OB data collection, OB system evaluation 39
and management of OB funding. The board shall further promulgate 40
specific regulations regarding the methods and procedures by which 41
Mississippi licensed acute care facilities shall participate in 42
the statewide OB SOC. These specific regulations shall include 43
mechanisms for determining the appropriate level of participation 44
for each facility or class of facilities. In promulgating the 45
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ST: Statewide Obstetrics System of Care;
authorize Board of Health to establish standards
for.
rules and regulations pursuant to this act, the board shall 46
consult with the appropriate representatives from facilities in 47
each proposed level of care, along with relevant health 48
professionals and other appropriate experts, and shall consider 49
the input obtained in the development and implementation of such 50
rules and regulations. 51
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 52
and after July 1, 2026. 53