e The Licensed Midwifery Practice Act
(LMPA) requires that each Licensed Midwife provide information on the scope of
licensed midwifery practice in California to clients seeking community-based
midwifery care.
The LMPA
also requires that LMs identify appropriate arrangements for medical
consultation and transfer of care during the prenatal period, hospital transfer
during labor, birth and immediate postpartum and how to obtain appropriate
emergency medical services for mother and baby when necessary.
Medical
arrangements must be specific to each client's circumstance, discussed with
her, documented in writing and retained on her chart.
In
addition, Licensed Midwives are legally responsible for registering the births
of all babies born under their care.
Midwifery Scope of Practice as defined by the LMPA,
Sec 2507:
(a) The
license to practice midwifery authorizes the holder, under the supervision of a
licensed physician and surgeon, to attend cases of normal childbirth and to
provide prenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum care, including family-planning
care, for the mother, and immediate care for the newborn.
(b) As
used in this article, the practice of midwifery constitutes the furthering or
undertaking by any licensed midwife, under the supervision of a licensed
physician and surgeon who has current practice or training in obstetrics, to
assist a woman in childbirth so long as progress meets criteria accepted as
normal. All complications shall be referred to a physician immediately. The
practice of midwifery does not include the assisting of childbirth by any
artificial, forcible, or mechanical means, nor the performance of any version.
(c) As
used in this article, "supervision" shall not be construed to require
the physical presence of the supervising physician.
(d) The
ratio of licensed midwives to supervising physicians shall not be greater than
four individual licensed midwives to one individual supervising physician.
(e) A
midwife is not authorized to practice medicine and surgery by this article.
Note
regarding physician supervision as referenced above ~ Currently the malpractice
carriers who provide professional liability insurance to California
obstetricians will not permit physicians to have a supervisory relationship
with professional midwives who provide community-based birth services.
Specific Arrangements for
Medical Care are as follows:
Licensed
Midwife _____________________________________ License #_____
Client
Name ___________________________________________ Date _______
(1)
Medical/Obstetrical Consultation and Transfer of Care during your pregnancy:
__________________________________________________________________
(2)
Hospital-based physician care during your labor, birth and the immediate
postpartum: __________________________________________________________________
(3)
Emergency Care for you or your newborn baby during or after the birth: __________________________________________________________________
As
a consumer of healthcare services you have the right to check on the licensure
status of any health care practitioner licensed in California. Physicians,
Licensed Midwives and 18 allied health professions are licensed and regulated
by the Medical Board of California (MBC). For information on Medical Board
licentiates call 1- 916 / 263-2382 or visit their web site at www.medbd.ca.gov/.
You also have the right to report any complaints about care received to the MBC
by calling 1- 800 / 633-2322. Instructions and a complaint form
are available on-line by visiting the MBC Internet site @ www.medbd.ca.gov/.
If the above named licensed midwife does not carry
professional liability (i.e. malpractice) insurance, I have been so informed of
that fact. Initials ______
Client
Signature _____________________________________ Date
________
Partner’s Signature ___________________________________ Date ________
Witness
Signature ____________________________________ Date________