Wisconsin Maternal Mortality Review Team (MMRT)

Wisconsin’s MMRT mission

The Wisconsin MMRT mission is to increase awareness of the issues surrounding pregnancy-associated deaths and make recommendations to promote change among individuals, communities, and health care systems in order to eliminate preventable maternal deaths among Wisconsin residents.

Background

The Wisconsin MMRT was established by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Division of Public Health and the Wisconsin Section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in 1997. Prior to 1997, cases of maternal mortality were reviewed by a committee of the Wisconsin Medical Society. Currently, the MMRT is supported through the Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Block Grant administered by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration.

Members

The MMRT is composed of public health and health care experts who represent professional organizations involved in the delivery of health care to pregnant women in Wisconsin. The MMRT strives to include representation from multiple disciplines, including public health services, perinatal nursing, midwifery, dietetics, psychiatry, and obstetrics. The purpose of the MMRT is to identify and review pregnancy-associated deaths, identify factors that contribute to these deaths, and propose recommendations that aim to prevent future deaths.

Review process

Maternal deaths are identified using the pregnancy status checkbox and the cause of death listed on the death certificate. The State Vital Records Office also cross-references death certificates of women of reproductive age with birth and fetal death certificates in order to identify additional cases. Once relevant maternal death, birth, and fetal death certificate data has been obtained, perinatal medical records, coroner/medical examiner reports (CME), police reports, and social services records are requested. The MMRT meets quarterly to review the information gathered on each case, determine whether or not the death was related to pregnancy, and develop prevention recommendations.

Maternal Mortality Review Team post-meeting summaries

The content of these post-meeting summaries reflect the views and opinions of the Maternal Mortality Review Team. It may not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Health Services.

View listing of members

For more information

Mary Wienkers, MPH
Maternal Mortality Review Coordinator and Program Contact

Return to the Maternal Mortality and Morbidity home page.