A NICHQ INITIATIVE

National Network of Perinatal Quality Collaboratives

Providing resources and support toward efforts to improve maternal and infant health outcomes

A team of medical professionals and members of a perinatal quality collaborative, working together.
PQC team working at a conference table.
PQC team at a conference table listening to one member.

What is a PQC?

Perinatal Quality Collaboratives (PQCs) are state or multi-state networks of multidisciplinary teams, working to improve maternal and infant health outcomes.

PQCs accomplish this by advancing evidence-informed clinical practices and processes using quality improvement (QI) principles to address gaps in care. PQCs partner with hospitals, providers, nurses, patients and families, and other stakeholders using a process of data-driven, continuous QI to spread best practices, reduce care variation, and optimize resources. The goal of a PQC is to make measurable improvements in population-level outcomes in maternal and infant health and achieve systems-level change.

PQCs current areas of focus include:

Reducing preterm births.

Reducing severe pregnancy complications associated with high blood pressure and hemorrhage.

Reducing racial/ethnic and geographic disparities.

Reducing cesarean births among low-risk pregnant women.

Improving screening and treatment for mothers with opioid use disorder and newborns with neonatal abstinence syndrome.

Increasing COVID-19 vaccine confidence, equitable access to vaccines, and administration among pregnant and postpartum people disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

Learn more about the NNPQC

IMPACT STATEMENT

The Power of PQCs

The hard work and dedication of PQCs across the United States has resulted in significant improvements in maternal and child health.

Watch this highlight reel of the NNPQC’s full Project Impact Statement video to learn about the impact of PQCs and their efforts.

Key PQC strategies include:

Collaborative learning

Rapid response data

Quality improvement science support

Watch the full video

Download the Impact Statement

NNPQC: The Power of PQCs video thumbnail.
Play

What PQCs are saying

“Hearing from other PQCs continues to help guide and push us to strive for better data collection, family engagement, and more. We have benefitted from attending other teams’ presentations and discussing how we can learn from their work.”

Allison Doyle

Perinatal-Neonatal Quality Improvement Network of Massachusetts

“NNPQC was extremely valuable in building our capacity to begin moving forward to improve PFP engagement to provide equitable care to all GA mothers and babies.”

Laura Layne

Georgia PQC

“I loved listening to what other PQCs were doing for inspiration and validation of what we were working so hard towards achieving. I’ve made friends that I can call at any time and ask questions and ask for help. I know others know that of me, too.”

Kim Petrella

Delaware PQC

Map of State PQC Activities

Use the map to find more info on state PQCs by clicking on a state or one of the PQCs in the left column. Use the filter bar to see which PQCs are engaged in NNPQC activities this year.

States colored orange have received CDC funding for PQC activities in 2023.

NNPQC By the Numbers


reduction in severe maternal morbidity from hemorrhage among Black women

(Louisiana PQC, 2018-2020)


reduction in length of stay for newborns

(Colorado PQC, 2017-2022)


increase in percent of opioid-exposed newborns who had a coordinated discharge plan

(Illinois PQC, 2018-2022)


reduction in NTSV cesarean rate compared to nation’s 1.5% reduction

(Florida PQC, 2017-2022)