SB 669: Rural hospitals: standby perinatal services.

This bill aims to improve perinatal healthcare in medically underserved areas by establishing a 10-year pilot project that allows participating hospitals to offer standby perinatal services. The pilot project will focus on 5 critical access hospitals, with the first two selected hospitals being nonprofit and located in specific counties. Participating hospitals must meet certain standards and resources criteria to participate in the program. The bill requires the department to develop a data collection template and evaluate the pilot project's safety, outcomes, utilization, and populations served. The department must also prepare and submit an evaluation to the legislature and make it publicly available. Approved standby perinatal services are subject to relevant licensing enforcement provisions, and hospitals must implement specific requirements to maintain the program. These requireme…