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The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has released updates to its clinical recommendations for critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) screening in newborns. Since becoming part of the U.S. Recommended Uniform Screening Panel in 2011, this simple pulse oximetry screening has become mandatory across all U.S. states and territories.

The new clinical report, "Newborn Screening for Critical Congenital Heart Disease: A New Algorithm and Other Updated Recommendations," published in Pediatrics January 2025, reflects key learnings from over a decade of nationwide implementation. The recommended updates include a simplified screening algorithm, improving data collection, and education of providers.

NPQIC’s 2024 Fall Summit, “Transforming Perinatal Care in Nebraska," was held on Friday, September 27th, 2024, in Omaha, NE.

The Summit provided a platform for this multidisciplinary audience to deepen their knowledge of the state of Maternal and Infant Health in Nebraska and identify opportunities for quality improvement. 

This summary report shares key takeaways from each presentation andNPQIC’s recommended strategies to transform perinatal care and address policies, systems, and environments impacting maternal health for all Nebraskans. Access the Executive Summary here, and please share it with your colleagues!

The Severe Maternal Morbidity (SMM) Report presents an overview of severe maternal complications of labor and delivery in the State of Nebraska from 2017-2021. During this time period, Nebraska had an SMM rate of 58.5 events per 10,000 delivery hospitalizations.

The report showed disparities in the SMM rates, with women aged 35 years old or older, women with Medicaid as their source of payment, and non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic women having higher rates.

SMM indicators were grouped by category, with the most frequent indicators being hemorrhage, renal, and respiratory complications, followed by other obstetric and cardiac complications.