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Title: Section 754.1 - Definitions

Effective Date


Section 754.1 Definitions. (a) A birth center is a diagnostic and treatment center organized to provide care to low-risk patients during pregnancy, labor and delivery who require a stay of less than 24 hours after birth. Services are provided by a physician or licensed midwife to women during a normal and an uncomplicated pregnancy, labor, birth and puerperium. Birth center services are based on a philosophy that promotes a family-centered approach to care and views pregnancy and delivery as a normal physiological process requiring limited technological and pharmacological support. The center services are designed to meet the specific needs of the population being served and promote optimum pregnancy outcomes. The licensed midwife or physician provides care for the low-risk woman during pregnancy and stays with her during labor from the time of admission to the birth center through the immediate postpartum period providing continuous physical and emotional support, evaluating progress, facilitating family interaction and assisting the woman in labor and delivery. Nurse practitioners may provide prenatal and post partum care to birthing center patients. They may also provide supportive care during labor and delivery, but the attending provider for birth must be a physician or licensed midwife.

(b) A patient at low risk means a patient with a normal medical, surgical and obstetrical history and a normal, uncomplicated prenatal course as determined by adequate prenatal care, and prospects. for a normal uncomplicated birth. A pregnant woman, parturient or newborn shall be determined as low risk during the prenatal period, intrapartum and postpartum by the use of standardized criteria based on generally accepted standards of professional practice such as those approved by the department's Prenatal/Perinatal Advisory Council Subcommittee on Birth Centers in Guidelines for Birth Centers in New York State.


VOLUME E (Title 10)