It is easier to get consumer satisfaction and quality information about a car, or even a blender than it is to get satisfaction and quality information about health care providers.

Women in America choose their doctor, midwife and maternity care facility based on word-of-mouth or insurance company referrals, largely unaware of the quality of care being provided by that individual or facility. Health care reform experts indicate that transparency in our system is necessary for overall system improvement. Consumers must be informed about quality of care benchmarks and how their providers stack-up in order to make the best decisions about their own health care.

Birth Network National is partnering with the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) in developing a new internet-based program to create transparency in maternity care. Women are able to:

• Share their personal opinions about the health care they received specific to their individual provider during their pregnancy and birth by using an online, on-going survey based on the Mother Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI);
  
  
• Connect with other women by viewing consumer feedback about the care they received from individual providers;
  
  
• Learn about the maternity intervention statistics by facility (hospital or birthing center) in their community.

Birth Network National board members are working as key leaders in the creation of this project and local Chapter Leaders are beginning their work to access maternity intervention data from their state public health departments.

Please contact us at info@thebirthsurvey.com if you are interested in volunteering to help access maternity intervention data from individual states or if you want to help with this project in any other way.

For more information see The Birth Survey website at www.thebirthsurvey.com.