Ambulatory - Often used in reference to hospital care, term used for services and procedures where the patient does not remain overnight in the hospital.
Birthing Center - a licensed facility that provides routine intrapartum (delivery) care to less than 500 uncomplicated maternity patients per year.
Birth Weight - the first weight of the fetus or newborn obtained after delivery; birth weight is recorded in grams. Normal delivery weight is 2501 grams or more, (approximately 5 lbs, 8 ounces).
Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) - a nurse formally educated and certified to practice in the two disciplines of nursing and midwifery (independent care of essentially normal healthy women and infants including delivery of infants with medical consultation, collaborative management and referral of cases in which abnormalities develop).
Community Perinatal Center (CPC) - a licensed facility providing prenatal, intrapartum and postpartum care to women and their newborns. CPC facilities are further defined by designation as one of three levels of care: CPC-BASIC, CPC-INTERMEDIATE and CPC INTENSIVE.
Extremely Low Birthweight ? weight less than 1000 grams (approximately 2 lbs 4 oz) at birth. These babies have a higher death rate and are more likely to develop disabilities that create a greater need for medical services, special education and lifelong support services.
Fetal Mortality Rate (FMR) - number of fetal deaths or stillbirths of 20 or more weeks gestation per 1000 total births.
High Risk - any patient identified with a medical condition requiring more than routine medical or surgical intervention.
Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) - the number of deaths of children under one year of age per 1000 live births.
Infant - a child in the age range from birth to one year.
Intrapartum - the period occurring during childbirth or delivery.
Low Birth Weight - weight less than 2500 grams (approximately 5 lbs. 8 oz.) at birth. Babies born at this weight have a higher death rate and are more likely to develop disabilities that create a greater need for medical services, special education and lifelong support services.
Maternal & Child Health Consortium (MCH Consortium) - a voluntary, non-profit organization comprised of perinatal and pediatric health care providers, related community organizations and consumers, established by the Department of Health in its effort to improve infant and maternal health through the creation of a linked network of care. Consortia coordinate and monitor care and provide regional quality assurance and education. The Southern New Jersey Perinatal Cooperative is the New Jersey Department of Health designated consortium for the southern New Jersey region, which includes Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester, Cape May, and Salem counties.
Maternal-Fetal Transport - the system of transport of the high-risk pregnant patients to Regional Perinatal Centers (RPCs) for maternal management. This is usually carried out by a team from the RPC and can result in the infant's birth at the RPC where the infant can receive specialized care.
Neonatal (newborn) - the period up to 28 days after birth.
Neonate (newborn) - a baby from birth up to 28 days old.
Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR) - the number of infant deaths within the first 28 days of life per 1000 live births.
Neonatal Transport - the transport of a newborn with complications to a Regional Perinatal Center or CPC-Intensive for specialized care.
Neonatologist - a physician who specializes in disorders of the neonate; physician who is Board certified in pediatrics and eligible or certified in neonatology from the American Board of Pediatrics, Sub-Board of Neonatal/Perinatal Medicine or the American Osteopathic Board of Pediatrics, Sub-Board of Neonatology.
Obstetrician - a medical doctor who specializes in the care of pregnant women and birth; physician who is certified, or eligible for certification, by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Inc. or the American Osteopathic Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Pediatrician - a medical doctor who specializes in the care of infants and children; physician who is certified or eligible for certification by the American Board of Pediatrics or the American Osteopathic Board of Pediatrics.
Perinatal - the period before and after birth; defined in New Jersey and generally accepted as week 20 of gestation through the 7th day of life.
Perinatologist - a specialist in the perinatology, a subspecialty of obstetrics concerned with the care of the mother and fetus during pregnancy, labor and delivery, especially when the mother and/or fetus are ill or at risk of becoming ill.
Postpartum - the period up to six weeks following birth.
Prenatal - the period occurring prior to birth.
Prenatal Care - risk appropriate primary health care for pregnant women which consists of medical management, nutritional counseling, antenatal testing and case coordination needed to enhance the health and well being of the woman and fetus during pregnancy. Lack of prenatal care is a leading contributor to low birthweight and infant mortality.
Regional Perinatal Center (RPC) ? a facility that provides full range of primary and advanced perinatal clinical services on continuous basis for high risk mothers with a broad spectrum of conditions; also has provides care for high risk newborns who may be very low birth weight and in need of complex respiratory and or major surgical intervention.
Regionalization - the planning and coordination of services within a specific geographic zone for the best use of financial and medical resources such as staffing, equipment, facilities, education, and expertise to coordinate appropriate quality health care to a specific population.
Regulations - planning and licensing rules promulgated by the New Jersey Department of Health which define relationships between MCH Consortia and health care providers, including the state's expectations of hospitals concerning care of high risk mothers and infants.
Stillbirth - fetal death; a death prior to birth. In New Jersey, fetal deaths of 20 weeks more gestation must be reported.
Trimester of Pregnancy - the first trimester includes the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, the second trimester encompasses the 13th through the 24th weeks, and the third trimester is the period after the 24th week through delivery.
Very Low Birth Weight - weight less than 1500 grams (approximately 3 lbs. 5 oz) at birth. Babies born at this weight have a higher death rate and are more likely to develop disabilities that create a greater need for medical services, special education and lifelong support services.