title: Blueprint for action: steps toward a high-quality, high-value maternity care system.
abstract: Childbirth Connection hosted a 90th Anniversary national policy symposium, Transforming Maternity Care: A High Value Proposition, on April 3, 2009, in Washington, DC. Over 100 leaders from across the range of stakeholder perspectives were actively engaged in the symposium work to improve the quality and value of U.S. maternity care through broad system improvement. A multi-disciplinary symposium steering committee guided the strategy from its inception and contributed to every phase of the project. The "Blueprint for Action: Steps Toward a High Quality, High Value Maternity Care System", issued by the Transforming Maternity Care Symposium Steering Committee, answers the fundamental question, "Who needs to do what, to, for, and with whom to improve the quality of maternity care over the next five years?" Five stakeholder workgroups collaborated to propose actionable strategies in 11 critical focus areas for moving expeditiously toward the realization of the long term "2020 Vision for a High Quality, High Value Maternity Care System", also published in this issue. Following the symposium these workgroup reports and recommendations were synthesized into the current blueprint. For each critical focus area, the "Blueprint for Action" presents a brief problem statement, a set of system goals for improvement in that area, and major recommendations with proposed action steps to achieve them. This process created a clear sightline to action that if enacted could improve the structure, process, experiences of care, and outcomes of the maternity care system in ways that when anchored in the culture can indeed transform maternity care.
authors.forename: Peter B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Angood
authors.forename: Elizabeth Mitchell
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Armstrong
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ashton
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Burstin
authors.forename: Maureen P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Corry
authors.forename: Suzanne F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Delbanco
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fildes
authors.forename: Daniel M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Fox
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Gluck
authors.forename: Sue Leavitt
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Gullo
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Howes
authors.forename: R Rima
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Jolivet
authors.forename: Douglas W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Laube
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lynne
authors.forename: Elliott
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Main
authors.forename: Anne Rossier
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Markus
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mayberry
authors.forename: Lynn V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Debra L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Ness
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nuzum
authors.forename: Jeffrey D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Quinlan
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sakala
authors.forename: Alina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salganicoff
mesh_terms: D019985:Benchmarking / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D003625:Data Collection / Q000592:standards; D057286:Electronic Health Records / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D018166:Health Care Reform; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008427:Maternal Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D008490:Medical Informatics / Q000592:standards*; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000592:standards*; D011247:Pregnancy; D014481:United States