RCW 74.09.837 — Maternity support services program—Updates—Rule making.

1. (1) Subject to the amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the authority shall update the maternity support services program to address perinatal outcomes and increase equity and healthier birth outcomes. By January 1, 2026, the authority shall:

   1. (a) Update current screening tools to be culturally relevant, include current risk factors, ensure the tools address health equity, and include questions identifying various social determinants of health that impact a healthy birth outcome and improve health equity;
   2. (b) Ensure care coordination, including sharing screening tools with the patient's health care providers as necessary;

   3. (c) Develop a mechanism to collect the results of the maternity support services screenings and evaluate the outcomes of the program. At minimum, the program evaluation shall:

      1. (i) Identify gaps, strengths, and weaknesses of the program; and
      2. (ii) Make recommendations for how the program may improve to better align with the authority's maternal and infant health initiatives; and
   4. (d) Increase the allowable benefit and reimbursement rates with the goal of increasing utilization of services to all eligible maternity support services clients who choose to receive the services.
2. (2) The authority shall adopt rules to implement this section.

[ 2024 c 213 s 2.]