Turning the Tide is a hospital-based quality improvement initiative led by the Colorado Perinatal Care Quality Collaborative. Grounded in the AIM Patient Safety Bundle for the care of pregnant and postpartum individuals with substance use disorders, the initiative targets two leading causes of maternal mortality in Colorado: suicide and unintentional overdose. By emphasizing universal screening and responsive clinical care during hospital birth admissions, Turning the Tide aims to enhance patient safety and support better outcomes for birthing individuals and their families.
SPARK (Supporting Postpartum Access, Recovery, and Knowledge) is a hospital-based quality improvement initiative led by the Colorado Perinatal Care Quality Collaborative (CPCQC). Grounded in the AIM Patient Safety Bundle on Postpartum Discharge Transitions, SPARK focuses on strengthening postpartum care transitions through standardized screenings, patient education, and connections to community resources during hospital birth admissions. By addressing critical needs at this pivotal time, the initiative promotes patient safety and supports healthier outcomes for birthing individuals and their families.
The Improving Perinatal Health Outcomes Act (SB24-175) is intended to address rising
maternal and infant mortality and morbidity rates, along with sources of inequitable care and disparate health outcomes during the perinatal period. Hospital participation in the state-
designated perinatal quality collaboratives (PQCs) are recognized federally by the Health Resources and Services Administration and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as a
strategy to prevent maternal-infant mortality and morbidity and promote health equity. Thus,
SB24-175 requires the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to
contract with the Colorado Perinatal Care Quality Collaborative (CPCQC) to lead statewide efforts to increase coordination and accountability for reducing maternal and infant deaths.
The legislation also requires that every Colorado hospital with a labor and delivery unit and/or neonatal intensive care unit engage annually in one or more CPCQC-led quality improvement (QI) initiatives to advance equitable care and outcomes for birthing people and their infants through targeted QI and technical assistance and a stronger statewide perinatal health data infrastructure. Active engagement in the SPARK initiative meets SB24-175 requirements. Learn more here.
A hospital is deemed an Active Participant in CPCQC QI initiatives and compliant with SB24-175 if it completes the following five activities:
- Enrollment: Signing a Data Use Agreement (DUA) with CPCQC and selecting a QI initiative to implement.
- Coaching: Attending one virtual QI coaching session per quarter (4 per year).
- Survey Completion: Submitting initiative-related practice surveys at least twice per year.
- Meeting Participation: Ensuring at least one representative attends 75% of monthly QI initiative meetings (9 out of 12) and one annual in-person forum.
- Data Submission: Providing QI initiative data disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and payer for at least 75% of quarterly reporting periods.
Your team’s progress in completing the required tasks/ steps, including the dates for elements are accomplished.
CPCQC’s QI Advisors are dedicated experts who partner with hospitals to drive meaningful improvements in perinatal care. Their primary goal is to support birthing hospitals in enhancing their processes and practices, ultimately improving outcomes for birthing people and infants. CPCQC’s QI Advisors provide various free services to enrolled hospital teams, such as education in QI methodologies, access to subject matter experts, tailored data interpretation and feedback to support QI, and sustainability planning to ensure long-term success. Learn more here.
A Data Use Agreement (DUA) establishes data usage and sharing terms. Every participating hospital or hospital system must have a signed DUA with CPCQC before submitting and analyzing data.
The CPCQC participation agreement is a document that outlines the terms and conditions under which CPCQC and your facility agree to collaborate or participate in a shared initiative. The agreement defines roles and expectations. This document needs to be signed by a C-suite administrator and is required for participation. See the agreement here.