Maternal Health Data and Quality Measures, Task Force on; State Health Commissioner to reestablish.
HB2109 reestablishes the Task Force on Maternal Health Data and Quality Measures within the State Health Commissioner’s office. The task force is charged with reviewing how maternal health data are collected and reported across Virginia, with a focus on improving maternal care, quality, and outcomes for all birthing people. Its membership is broad and includes legislators, state health officials, clinicians, midwives, hospital representatives, experts in postpartum depression and care, advocates for vulnerable populations, payer representatives, and other stakeholders.
The task force must monitor state and third-party data sources, including electronic claims data and updated HEDIS postpartum depression screening measures, identify barriers to timely data reporting, review maternal health benefit requirements, assess the role of social determinants of health screening, analyze data one year after delivery, and recommend standard quality metrics for maternal care. It must report annually to the Governor and General Assembly and complete its work by November 1, 2026.
The bill does not create a new regulatory program or mandate direct benefits, but it does require the State Health Commissioner to reestablish an advisory task force and directs state agencies to assist it upon request. Its practical effect is to formalize a statewide process for evaluating maternal health data collection, quality measures, and reporting practices, which could influence future policy, payer reporting expectations, and maternal health standards. It also references existing maternal health and postpartum depression screening measures, tying the task force’s work to current health data and quality frameworks.
The bill appears to have been broadly supported overall, passing the House and Senate with overwhelming margins and little recorded opposition. The votes suggest strong bipartisan interest in improving maternal health outcomes and data quality. The only notable resistance appears limited and procedural rather than ideological, with one close vote in an April motion to pass by for the day, but the bill itself ultimately advanced with near-unanimous support.
The main points of discussion likely center on the scope and composition of the task force, especially the inclusion of many stakeholder categories, the use of payer and claims data, and the examination of benefit requirements and social determinants of health screening. Those elements may raise questions about data availability, reporting burdens, privacy, and how far the task force should go in recommending changes to maternal health coverage and quality standards. However, the recorded votes show little sustained opposition, indicating that any concerns were limited and did not prevent passage.