PQC-VT Goals: 

Optimizing perinatal health outcomes and experiences for all Maine families through collaboration, education, and continuous quality improvement. 

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PQC-VT Projects:

1. Engaging People with Lived Experience

   • Our Patient and Family Advisory Committee (PFAC) brings patient and family points of view on issues that impact pregnant and postpartum people in Vermont. 

   • Video available: https://www.uvm.edu/larnermed/vchip/pqc-vt-patient-and-family-advisory-committee-pfac 

2. Perinatal Education & Clinical Skills Trainings

   • Educational Webinar Series – The PQC-VT team collaborates on a webinar series for perinatal audiences. Webinars address relevant perinatal topics and routinely highlight clinical/community connections in Vermont

   • NeoSIM Clinical Skills Training –  Support neonatal preparedness using in person skills training with clinical management scenarios 

     https://www.uvm.edu/d10-files/documents/2025-02/VCHIP_PQC-VT-NeoSim-Clinical-Skills-Training-Flyer-24-25.pdf 

   • OB Drill training Skills – the AIM nurse educator supports the community hospitals with in-person OB Skills Simulation Trainings. The training sessions are scheduled as requested by hospitals.

3. AIM Patient Safety Bundles

   • The Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) is a national maternal safety and quality improvement initiative.  Vermont joined AIM in 2020 with the goal of implementing safety bundles in all of Vermont’s birthing hospitals to improve patient care.

   • The goal of implementing safety bundles is to improve the clinical structures and processes of care and improve patient outcomes for pregnant and postpartum Vermonters throughout the state. This is done with standardized, actionable steps that have been proven to reliably improve patient care. 

   • Current Maternal Safety Bundles Include:

     • Obstetric Hemorrhage

     • Severe Hypertension in Pregnancy

     • Cardiac Conditions

     • Care for Pregnant and Postpartum Individuals with Substance Use

4. Birth Certificate Quality Improvement Initiative (BCQII)

   • Convene Vermont community hospital providers and Health Information Management offices (HIM) staff to engage in quality improvement efforts to improve accuracy of the Vermont birth certificate data.

5. Bidirectional Learning for Improved Support and Services (BLISS) 

   • BLISS is a Support community-based partners who care for birthing people with substance use disorder with bidirectional learning for improved support and services. 

   • https://www.uvm.edu/d10-files/documents/2025-02/VCHIP_PQC-VT-BLISS-ONE-PAGER_Feb2025.pdf 

6. Annual Statistics Report & Conferences 

   • The Annual Report of Perinatal Statistics for Vermont Community Hospitals is an analysis of perinatal data for ten Vermont community hospitals with obstetric services. The report includes data reported by hospital staff and data reported to the Vermont Department of Health including birth certificate data, immunization registry data and newborn screening registry data. 

   • The report results are shared annually with community hospitals in the spring through annual stats conferences to review perinatal outcomes data in the context of key maternal and newborn quality indicators. 

7. Improving Care of Newborns with Substance Exposure (ICoNs) 

   • ICoNs project partners with the Vermont Department of Health and the University of Vermont Children’s Hospital to improve care of newborns with substance exposure. 

   • Provide educational sessions for healthcare professionals to enhance outcomes for pregnant people with substance use disorders and their infants

8. Supporting Exchange of Information & Communication

   • Nurse Manager Collaborative Listserv – the team manages an active listserv for the community hospital nurse managers and nurse leaders from tertiary care. The listserv facilitates communication and sharing across hospitals as well as linkages to the PQC-VT team faculty experts for complex clinical care management questions. 

   • PQC-VT Listserv – The team utilizes the PQC-VT listserv to promote relevant perinatal initiatives across its perinatal network of professionals. All PQC-VT education and outreach events are advertised through this listserv as well as VDH/FCH events.  

   • Nurse Manager Meetings – The PQC-VT team holds Nurse Manager meetings (both virtual and in-person) throughout the year. 

9. Upcoming Focus: Regional PQCs