A new study in The Lancet claims that maternal mortality rates around the world are going down. That should be good news in the debate over U.S. healthcare costs, except that the U.S. has an appalling record for maternal and infant mortality.

Amnesty International issued its own condemnation of U.S. maternity care, citing an infant mortality rate far above countries with fewer doctors, outdated technologies and primitive pre-natal care.

How can that be?

Come hear for yourself at the maternal-fetal medicine knowledge summit next Thursday, April 22 and Friday, April 23 at the Fairfax Embassy Row, 2100 Massachusetts Ave., Washington, D.C. The agenda for these meetings will address the maternal fetal medicine state of crisis: global and national maternity care; trends in healthcare information technology; and healthcare reform.

Did You Know?

- Amnesty International's March 2010 "Maternal Health Care Crisis in the USA" reports 34,000 American women have near-death experiences each year as they try to give birth.

- The United States ranks 46th in infant mortality rate worldwide. That's below Cuba and just ahead of Croatia.

- 30 percent of all births have incidents of difficulties that can lead to trauma

- Studies show that 50 percent of avoidable medical errors are due to errors in cognition, and errors of communication.

Who

Nan Strauss, J.D. of Amnesty International will address global maternal-fetal morbidity and mortality rates, as well as clinical issues and trends and how the U.S. can improve its position as one of the lowest-ranked industrialized nations in terms of maternity care.

Dr. Peter Pronovost, an intensive care specialist and professor at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Pronovost is an internationally acclaimed leader in patient safety, whose "checklist" concept dramatically reduced the rate of hospital-acquired infections after surgery.

Dr. Dan O'Keefe, Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist, Chief Medical Officer for PeriGen

When

Thursday, April 22 and Friday, April 23, 2010

Where

Fairfax Embassy Row
2100 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20008

Source
PeriGen