In comments on proposed rules for the implementation of Accountable Care Organizations under the Affordable Care Act, ACNM urges the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to modify the regulations to further facilitate midwifery participation in these new models. "While we applaud the statute's recognition of the role of nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists, the omission of certified nurse-midwives as primary care providers for women is irrational and diminishes women's choices under the ACO model."
ACNM further pointed out that "Unlike other health conditions in which we struggle to find an effective treatment or cure, we know how to provide high-quality, cost-effective maternity care...Midwifery care as practiced by CNMs and CMs is based on the principle of non-intervention in the absence of complications. This approach has been shown to result in outstanding birth outcomes and cost-containment." Read the comments here.
