Ensuring confidentiality and patient protections throughout the monitoring, research and evaluation process.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) Bureau of Family Health is responsible for administering the Title V Maternal & Child Health (MCH) Block Grant Program, which involves monitoring, researching, and evaluating health status and conducting activities to identify and address community health problems.
Within the population of women of reproductive age, maternal mortality is an indicator that is monitored by KDHE pursuant to K.S.A. 65-177. Maternal mortality is considered a sentinel (patient safety) event that warrants close scrutiny.
K.S.A. 65-177 provides authority for the KDHE to conduct studies to reduce morbidity or mortality; all data shall be treated as confidential. Interviewing patients or family members must be done pursuant to K.S.A. 65-2422d. Provides authority for non-identifying aggregate statistical and narrative reports/publications.
K.S.A. 65-2422d authorizes the secretary to use birth, death and still birth certificates as identifiable data for purposes of maternal and child health surveillance and monitoring. The secretary or the secretary’s designee may interview individuals for purposes of maternal and child health surveillance and monitoring only with an approval of the health and environmental institutional review board as provided in title 45, part 46 of the code of federal regulations.
KDHE-Bureau of Family Health, 1000 SW Jackson, Suite 220, Topeka, KS 66612 • (785) 296-1205
KDHE-Bureau of Family Health, 1000 SW Jackson, Suite 220, Topeka, KS 66612
(785) 296-1205
Copyright © Kansas MMRC