Updates to the MR&C System

The Minnesota Registration &Certification (MR&C) system will be updated this Sunday, December 12^th. This update will enhance and correct selected items for all users. Birth registrar users will notice these improvements:

•      Restoration of the calendar icons for date selection
•      Pre-check the radio button for entry of mother’s Social Security Number on the initial screen
•      Father’s calculated age displayed on screen and on the birth transcript
•      Some minor spelling and grammatical corrections to screens and reports

Additionally, the “hard stop” question for early elective deliveries will now appear on birth records that meet the criteria.

As mentioned in previous Birth Data Newsletters, the “hard stop” initiative is a program to reduce the number of early scheduled deliveries for non-medical reasons in Minnesota. This collaborative project between the Minnesota Department of Health, the Minnesota Department of Human Services, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, March of Dimes and the Joint Commission affects birth records for scheduled deliveries (inductions and cesarean sections without trial of labor) at less than 39 weeks gestation.

The question, “Was a hard stop process used to schedule this delivery, based on the medial record?” will appear on qualifying birth records. Birth registrars are instructed to answer “Yes” if their facility is using a process that empowers the scheduler to stop or prevent the scheduling of an early elective induction or cesarean section. The hard stop process may appear as a worksheet, image or series of questions in the medical record. Non-participating hospitals, or scheduled deliveries for non-medical, non-approved reasons, will respond “No.” Birth registrars who are unsure about their facility’s participation or hard stop process should speak to their supervisor or manager about this new data field.

The Maternity & Newborn Activity Report, printable from the MR&C, will be updated in early 2014 to report responses to this question. Watch the Birth Data Newsletter for more information.