‘‘(v) MATERNAL MORTALITY REVIEW 
STAFF.—Staff of each such review com-
mittee shall include— 
‘‘(I) vital health statisticians, ma-
ternal child health statisticians, or 
epidemiologists; 
‘‘(II) a coordinator of the State 
maternal mortality review committee, 
to be designated by the State; and 
‘‘(III) administrative staff. 
‘‘(C) OPTION FOR STATES TO FORM RE-
GIONAL
MATERNAL
MORTALITY
REVIEWS.— 
States with a low rate of occurrence of preg-
nancy-associated or pregnancy-related deaths 
may choose to partner with one or more neigh-
boring States to fulfill the activities described in 
paragraph (1)(C). In such a case, with respect 
to States in such a partnership, any require-
ment under this section relating to the report-
ing of information related to such activities 
shall be deemed to be fulfilled by each such 
State if a single such report is submitted for 
the partnership. 
‘‘(3) STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ACTIVI-
TIES.—For purposes of subsection (a), a State de-
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partment of health of a State receiving a grant 
under such subsection shall— 
‘‘(A) in consultation with the maternal 
mortality review committee of the State and in 
conjunction with relevant professional organiza-
tions, develop a plan for ongoing health care 
provider education, based on the findings and 
recommendations of the committee, in order to 
improve the quality of maternal care; and 
‘‘(B) take steps to widely disseminate the 
findings and recommendations of the State ma-
ternal mortality review committees of the State 
and to implement the recommendations of such 
committee. 
‘‘(c) CASE ABSTRACTION FORM.— 
‘‘(1) DEVELOPMENT.—The Director of the Cen-
ters for Disease Control and Prevention shall de-
velop a uniform, comprehensive case abstraction 
form and make such form available to States for 
State maternal mortality review committees for use 
by such committees in order to— 
‘‘(A) ensure that the cases and information 
collected and reviewed by such committees can 
be pooled for review by the Department of 
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Health and Human Services and its agencies; 
and 
‘‘(B) preserve the uniformity of the infor-
mation and its use for Federal public health 
purposes. 
‘‘(2) PERMISSIBLE
STATE
MODIFICATION.— 
Each State may modify the form developed under 
paragraph (1) for implementation and use by such 
State or by the State maternal mortality review com-
mittee of such State by including on such form addi-
tional information to be collected, but may not alter 
the standard questions on such form, in order to en-
sure that the information can be collected and re-
viewed centrally at the Federal level. 
‘‘(d) TREATMENT AS PUBLIC HEALTH AUTHORITY 
FOR PURPOSES OF HIPAA.—For purposes of applying 
HIPAA privacy and security law (as defined in section 
3009(a)(2) of the Public Health Service Act), a State ma-
ternal mortality review committee of a State established 
pursuant to this section to carry out activities described 
in subsection (b)(2)(A) shall be deemed to be a public 
health authority described in section 164.501 (and ref-
erenced in section 164.512(b)(1)(i)) of title 45, Code of 
Federal Regulations (or any successor regulation), car-
rying out public health activities and purposes described 
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in such section 164.512(b)(1)(i) (or any such successor 
regulation). 
‘‘(e) PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For fiscal year 2012 or a 
subsequent fiscal year, each State receiving a grant 
under this section for such year shall, subject to 
paragraph (3), provide for the public disclosure, and 
submission to the information clearinghouse estab-
lished under paragraph (2), of the information in-
cluded in the report of the State under section 
506(a)(2)(F) for such year (relating to the findings 
for such year of the State maternal mortality review 
committee established by the State under this sec-
tion). 
‘‘(2) 
INFORMATION
CLEARINGHOUSE.—The 
Secretary of Health and Human Services shall es-
tablish an information clearinghouse, that shall be 
administered by the Director of the Centers for Dis-
ease Control and Prevention, that will maintain find-
ings and recommendations submitted pursuant to 
paragraph (1) and provide such findings and rec-
ommendations for public review and research pur-
poses by State health departments, maternal mor-
tality review committees, and health providers and 
institutions. 
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‘‘(3) CONFIDENTIALITY OF INFORMATION.—In 
no case shall any individually identifiable health in-
formation be provided to the public, or submitted to 
the information clearinghouse, under paragraph (1). 
‘‘(f) CONFIDENTIALITY
OF
REVIEW
COMMITTEE 
PROCEEDINGS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—All proceedings and activi-
ties of a State maternal mortality review committee 
under this section, opinions of members of such a 
committee formed as a result of such proceedings 
and activities, and records obtained, created, or 
maintained pursuant to this section, including 
records of interviews, written reports, and state-
ments procured by the Department of Health and 
Human Services or by any other person, agency, or 
organization acting jointly with the Department, in 
connection with morbidity and mortality reviews 
under this section, shall be confidential, and not sub-
ject to discovery, subpoena, or introduction into evi-
dence in any civil, criminal, legislative, or other pro-
ceeding. Such records shall not be open to public in-
spection. 
‘‘(2) TESTIMONY
OF
MEMBERS
OF
COM-
MITTEE.— 
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