Public Act 096-1117
 
SB3273 EnrolledLRB096 19757 RPM 35188 b

    AN ACT concerning health.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Prenatal and Newborn Care Act is amended by
adding Sections 8 and 9 as follows:
 
    (410 ILCS 225/8 new)
    Sec. 8. Educational information on risks and healthcare
needs of premature infants.
    (a) It is the purpose of this Section to:
        (1) improve healthcare quality and outcomes for
    infants born preterm through enhanced hospital discharge,
    follow-up care, and management processes and reduced
    rehospitalization from infectious disease and other
    complications; and
        (2) reduce infant morbidity and mortality associated
    with prematurity.
    (b) The General Assembly finds the following:
        (1) Infants born premature at less than 37 weeks
    gestational age have greater morbidity and mortality than
    full-term infants.
        (2) In 2006, 12.8% of all births in the United States
    were premature, accounting for more than 542,000 infants.
        (3) In Illinois, 1 in 8 babies were born premature in
    2006, or 13.3% of live births, accounting for 23,955
    premature births.
        (4) Between 1996 and 2006, the rate of infants born
    premature in Illinois increased nearly 15%.
        (5) The rate of premature birth in Illinois is highest
    in African American infants, 19.3%, followed by Native
    Americans, 15.6%, Hispanics, 12.1%, and Caucasians, 11.9%.
        (6) Approximately 70% of premature births occur in the
    late preterm period between 34 and 36 weeks of gestation,
    and late-preterm babies have significant differences in
    clinical outcomes than full-term infants, including
    greater risk for temperature instability, hypoglycemia,
    respiratory distress, and jaundice.
        (7) In 2005, preterm birth cost the United States at
    least $26.2 billion, or $51,600 for every infant born
    prematurely.
        (8) Medical costs for premature babies are greater than
    they are for healthy newborns. In 2007, the average medical
    costs for a preterm baby were more than 10 times as high as
    they were for a healthy full-term baby. The costs for a
    healthy baby from birth to his first birthday were $4,551.
    For a pre-term baby, the costs were $49,033.
        (9) The costs of premature birth in Illinois may be
    significant because the State Medicaid Program paid for 40%
    of all births in 2003.
        (10) Premature infant standard of care practices of
    clinicians and hospitals may vary across the State,
    particularly for late preterm births.
    (c) The Department of Public Health shall publish on its
website information about the possible health complications
associated with newborn infants who are born premature at less
than 37 weeks gestational age and the proper care and support
for these newborn infants. The written information shall, at a
minimum, include the following:
        (1) The unique health issues affecting infants born
    premature, such as increased risk of developmental
    problems; nutritional challenges; infection; chronic lung
    disease (bronchopulmonary dysplasia); vision and hearing
    impairment; breathing problems; feeding; maintaining body
    temperature; jaundice; hyperactivity; infant mortality as
    well as long-term complications associated with growth and
    nutrition; respiratory problems; fine motor skills;
    reading; and speaking.
        (2) The proper care needs of premature infants,
    developmental screenings, and monitoring and healthcare
    services available to premature infants through the
    Medicaid program or other public or private health
    programs.
        (3) Methods, vaccines, and other preventative measures
    to protect premature infants from infectious diseases,
    including viral respiratory infections.
        (4) The emotional and financial burdens and other
    challenges that parents and family members of premature
    infants experience and information about community
    resources available to support them.
    (d) The information shall be easily accessible and written
in clear language to educate parents of premature infants
across a variety of socioeconomic statuses.
    (e) In determining what information is most beneficial to
the public, the Department may consult with pediatric
healthcare providers, community organizations, or other
experts as the Department deems necessary.
    (f) The Department shall ensure that the information is
accessible to children's health providers, maternal care
providers, hospitals, public health departments, and medical
organizations. The Department shall encourage those
organizations to provide the publications to parents or
guardians of premature infants.
 
    (410 ILCS 225/9 new)
    Sec. 9. The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family
Services; consultation; data reporting.
    (a) The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family
Services, which administers the Illinois Medicaid Program and
the Covering ALL KIDS Health Insurance Program, shall consult
with statewide organizations focused on premature infant
healthcare in order to:
        (1) examine and improve hospital discharge and
    follow-up care procedures for premature infants born
    earlier than 37 weeks gestational age to ensure
    standardized and coordinated processes are followed as
    premature infants leave the hospital from either a Level 1
    (well baby nursery), Level 2 (step down or transitional
    nursery), or Level 3 (neonatal intensive care unit) unit
    and transition to follow-up care by a health care provider
    in the community; and
        (2) use guidance from the Centers for Medicare and
    Medicaid Services' Neonatal Outcome Improvement Project to
    implement programs to improve newborn outcome, reduce
    newborn health costs, and establish ongoing quality
    improvement for newborns.
    (b) In consultation with statewide organizations
representing hospitals, the Department of Public Health shall
consider mechanisms to collect discharge data for purposes of
analyzing readmission rates of certain premature infants.
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.