Frequently Asked Questions Concerning Licensing of Maternity Units
- I understand that ODH does not license hospitals, but it does license a maternity unit within a hospital and freestanding birthing centers. Is this true?
Yes, ODH does license hospital maternity units. It also licenses maternity homes and birthing centers. While hospitals are not licensed in Ohio, the maternity unit within a hospital is licensed by ODH under the provisions of Chapter 3711 of the Ohio Revised Code. Maternity units and maternity homes are subject to this statute and the rules that set the standards for operation are found at Chapter 3701-7 of the Ohio Administrative Code. This licensing program has existed in Ohio for decades.
- What exactly is a hospital maternity unit? Many hospitals have labor and delivery areas, postpartum areas where the new mothers stay after giving birth, nurseries for well babies, and nurseries for premature or ill babies, cesarean delivery rooms, etc. Are all of these a part of a "maternity" unit?
A maternity unit is that distinct portion of a hospital in which inpatient care is provided during all or part of the maternity cycle. A newborn nursery is a distinct portion of a hospital in which inpatient care is provided to infants. It can also mean that distinct portion of a hospital in which intensive care is provided to infants; e.g., a “neonatal intensive care unit.”
- What is a maternity home? Is this also a place where women can go to deliver rather than being admitted to a hospital?
A maternity home is a residential facility for pregnant women where accommodations, medical care, social services, and educational and recreational opportunities are offered during the prenatal and postpartal periods. The homes are not labor and delivery sites. Maternity homes may also provide nursery services for infants awaiting placement through an adoption agency.
- What is a birthing center? I have also heard the terms "birth center" and "freestanding birthing center." Are these one in the same?
Freestanding birthing centers or "birth centers" are licensed as health care facilities in Ohio unless they qualify for an exemption from licensure under section 3702.301 of the Revised Code. The exemption requires that a religious denomination, sect, or group owns the center; that requiring licensure would significantly abridge or infringe on the religious practices or beliefs of that denomination, sect or group; and that the center provides care only during low-risk pregnancy, delivery and immediate postpartum period exclusively to women who are members of that denomination, sect or group. A birthing center is an alternative to hospital admission for women who want a higher degree of care and services than might be possible in a "home" delivery, but yet do not want to have their baby in the institutional setting of a hospital. The woman’s personal obstetrician may attend her at the birthing center or she may be attended by a certified nurse midwife. While labor and delivery in an exempted birthing center may be attended by a traditional midwife rather than a physician or certified nurse midwife, there is a requirement that prior to admission, each expectant mother is assessed by a consulting physician. This is to ensure that the care during the pregnancy, delivery, and immediate postpartum period is to the "low risk" expectant mother. The rules for birthing centers are found at sections 3701-83-33 thru 42 of the OAC.
Last Updated: 06/10/09
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