High-Risk Deliveries

Babies with low birth weight (<1500 grams) are more likely to survive if they are delivered and treated at a hospital with an experienced neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), defined by caring for 50 or more very-low birth weight babies a year, or at a hospital that has demonstrated “better than expected” performance on the Vermont Oxford Network’s (VON) measure of death or morbidity. Hospitals report on their annual volume of very low birth weight babies or their performance on the VON measure. Hospitals also report on their rate of antenatal steroid administration to mothers, which reduces neonatal death and respiratory distress syndrome.

Reporting Period (volume)

• Surveys submitted prior to September 1: 01/01/2019 - 12/31/2019 or 01/01/2020 - 12/31/2020
• Surveys (re)submitted on or after September 1: 07/01/2020 - 06/30/2021

Reporting Period (outcomes)

• 2020

Patients Included in the Measure

• Inpatients (Patients who are admitted to the hospital for at least one overnight stay)

• Adults and Newborns