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Reducing Early Elective Deliveries (EED)

Early Elective Delivery (EED) is associated with adverse infant outcomes and has no known benefit to the mother.

View EED One Pager
PC-01 Measure Specifications
CMQCC and MOD Elimination of EED Toolkit

22%

Percentage decrease in the rate of early elective deliveries (deliveries before 39 weeks) across participating IL hospitals.

85%

The number of hospitals achieving an EED goal of <5%.
Why this matters

Early Elective Delivery (EED) is defined as delivery before 39 weeks of gestation without a medical or obstetrical indication and is associated with increased risks for newborns, including:

  • Adverse respiratory outcomes

  • Mechanical ventilation

  • Sepsis

  • Hypoglycemia

There is no known benefit to the mother for EEDs. In alignment with best practice recommendations from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and March of Dimes, hospitals are encouraged to implement a hard stop policy to prevent scheduling early elective deliveries.

About This Initiative

From 2013 to 2014, ILPQC led a statewide Early Elective Delivery Initiative in collaboration with:

  • Illinois Hospital Association

  • March of Dimes (including virtual boot camps)

  • National partners: National Quality Forum, AHRQ, and The Joint Commission

More than 50 hospital teams participated in this effort to reduce early elective deliveries. Participating hospitals submitted data quarterly on the Joint Commission PC-01 EED Measure through the ILPQC data system to track progress over time and benchmark performance.

Initiative Aim and Outcome

  • Reduce EED rates to <5% in ≥95% of participating hospitals

  • Improve the ability of hospitals to compare accurate EED data over time and across facilities

Results

42 hospitals achieved <5% EED in Q4 2013 or Q1 2014

Aggregate EED rate declined from 2.3% to 1.8% over the course of the initiative