Equity.  

Current regulations make it difficult for nurse-midwives to practice equitable, team-based care. In effective team-based care, each provider is integral to the team and each is able to offer the full scope of what they have to offer, which ultimately provides better health care overall. The “supervision” concept creates a sense of hierarchy that is antithetical to effective team-based care. As providers tethered to physicians, CNMs are unable to promote midwifery care without supervisory permission. Physician supervision also fosters interprofessional tension because of the erroneous idea that the physician is legally responsible for the CNM’s actions.      

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Visibility.  

Midwives are often invisible within the healthcare system by not being counted/included as providers by insurance companies or hospitals. Currently, Medi-Cal and private health plans do not track where CNMs work and what we do. That means our impact is often invisible to policy makers, insurance companies, and the general public—but not to budget administrators, who may well eliminate a CNM “line item” because our worth is not known.   

Economic Stability.  

Removal of the word “supervision” would expand market opportunities for CNMs and the physicians with whom we collaborate. It will also make it easier for a CNM to obtain hospital privileges and become a full hospital staff member; to work with physicians who are no longer fearful of liability issues; to start a midwife-owned private practice; and to contract with health plans. Likewise, it will be easier for hospitals to hire the appropriate number of CNMs and physicians required for optimal patient care rather than basing hiring decisions on supervision ratios. Removal of supervisory requirements does not, of course, preclude a CNM from working within a physician or hospital group if she or he so chooses.  

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The Health Policy Committee is responsible for assisting in the fulfillment of these specific purposes of the California Nurse-Midwives Association (CNMA):

1. Represent the membership regarding issues impacting the practice of midwifery in the state of California in accordance with the bylaws and policy guidelines of the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

2. Promote the health and well-being of women and families in the state of California by furthering the profession of midwifery.

3. Establish a mechanism for cooperation with other groups and organizations in promoting the health and well-being of California families.

4. Achieve legislation and regulation that is favorable to midwifery practice.

 5. Support and foster appropriate professional licensure regulations and legislation related to midwifery and women’s health issues in California.

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