Maternal Mortality Review Committee

What does the Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) do?

The Colorado Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) is a multidisciplinary group that convenes monthly to comprehensively review the deaths of all Colorado residents that occur during or within one year of the end of pregnancy. MMRCs are the gold standard for maternal death review. The Colorado MMRC is convened by the Maternal Mortality Prevention Program at CDPHE. This work is part of the program’s mission to ensure all birthing people of Colorado have perinatal experiences where they feel connected and get the care they want and need.

The MMRC comprises a group of health care providers, public health professionals, and people with lived experience, including: 
 

The MMRC reviews de-identified information compiled from medical records, vital records, social service records, family interviews, and more to:

• Determine the annual number of maternal deaths in Colorado
• Determine whether the death was related to the pregnancy
• Determine if the death could have been prevented
• Identify trends and factors that might contribute to maternal deaths
• Make recommendations to improve maternal outcomes and prevent mortality
• Make recommendations to achieve equity in maternal health outcomes

The MMRC develops recommendations for providers, healthcare facilities, communities, patients and families, and systems to improve care and prevent future pregnancy-related deaths. 
 

MMRC recommendations

Implementing MMRC recommendations can lead to:

• More equitable maternal outcomes
• Better access to care
• Better quality of care
• Stronger data
• The end of preventable pregnancy-related deaths

Access MMRC data

• Data and recommendations from the MMRC’s review process are available in publications and can be requested by the public. Access reports and learn more about requesting data on the Maternal Health Data web page.

Learn more about maternal mortality interviews

• The MMRC reviews all instances where a person dies while pregnant or up to one year after the end of pregnancy(e.g. abortion, stillborn, live birth). The FAQ provides more information about interviews.

Learn more about MMRCs across the country

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) supports the work of MMRCs across the country Learn more by visiting the CDC website.