Code of Maryland Regulations › Title 10 - MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH › Part 2 › Subtitle 09 - MEDICAL CARE PROGRAMS › Chapter 10.09.39 - Doula Services › Section 10.09.39.01 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 14, July 12, 2024
A. In this chapter,
				  the following terms have the meanings indicated.
B. Terms Defined.
(1) "Birthing parent" means the participant
				  giving birth, who is receiving doula services throughout their pregnancy,
				  including the prenatal, labor, and postpartum periods.
(2) "Certified doula" means a trained
				  nonmedical professional who provides continuous physical, emotional, and
				  informational support to the birthing parent throughout the prenatal and
				  postpartum periods and who has received a certification as approved by the
				  Program to perform doula services.
(3) "Department" means the Maryland
				  Department of Health, the single State agency designated to administer the
				  Maryland Medical Assistance Program under Title XIX of the Social Security Act,
				  42 U.S.C. §
												1396 et seq.
(4) "Doula services" means continuous
				  physical, emotional, and informational support to the birthing parent
				  throughout the prenatal and postpartum periods, provided by a certified doula,
				  including:
(a) Information about the
				  childbirth process;
(b) Emotional
				  and physical support provided at perinatal visits and during labor and
				  delivery, which may include:
(i) Prenatal
				  coaching;
(ii) Providing
				  person-centered care that honors cultural and family traditions; and
(iii) Teaching and advocating on behalf of
				  the birthing parent during appointment visits, hospitalization, and
				  delivery;
(c) Provision
				  of evidence-based information on general health practices pertaining to
				  pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum care, newborn health, and family
				  dynamics;
(d) Provision of
				  emotional support, physical comfort measures, and information to the birthing
				  parent to enable the birthing parent to make informed decisions pertaining to
				  childbirth and postpartum care, and other issues throughout the perinatal
				  period;
(e) Provision of support
				  for the whole birth team, including a birthing parent's partner, family
				  members, and other support persons;
(f) Provision of evidence-based information
				  on infant feeding;
(g) Provision of
				  general breastfeeding guidance and resources;
(h) Provision of infant soothing and coping
				  skills for the new parents; and
(i)
				  Facilitation of access to resources that can improve birth-related outcomes,
				  including ongoing home visiting services, transportation, housing, alcohol,
				  tobacco and drug cessation, WIC, SNAP, and intimate partner violence
				  resources.
(5) "Home"
				  means the birthing parent's place of residence in a community
				  setting.
(6) "Labor and delivery"
				  means the period during which the fetus, membranes, umbilical cord, and
				  placenta are expelled from the uterus through vaginal birth or through the
				  surgical delivery by a cesarean section.
(7) "Medically necessary" means that the
				  service or benefit is:
(a) Directly related
				  to diagnostic, preventive, curative, palliative, rehabilitative, or
				  ameliorative treatment of an illness, injury, disability, or health
				  condition;
(b) Consistent with
				  current accepted standards of good medical practice;
(c) The most cost-efficient service that can
				  be provided without sacrificing effectiveness or access to care; and
(d) Not primarily for the convenience of the
				  consumer, family, or provider.
(8) Perinatal period" means the period that
				  encompasses both the prenatal and postpartum periods.
(9) "Postpartum period" means the period that
				  begins immediately after childbirth up to 180 days following
				  childbirth.
(10) "Prenatal period"
				  means the developmental period between conception and birth.
(11) "Program" means the Maryland Medical
				  Assistance Program.
(12) "Provider"
				  means an individual doula or an association, partnership, or incorporated or
				  unincorporated group of doulas certified to provide doula services that,
				  through an appropriate agreement with the Department, has been identified as a
				  Program provider by the issuance of an individual account number.