§ 67A — Notice of birth of infant weighing 2500 grams or less or with high risk problem; annual reporting on status of premature and high risk infants

Section 67A. (a) Within 10 days after the birth of any infant weighing 2500 grams or less or any infant with a high risk problem as defined by the department, each hospital or in the case of a birth outside of a hospital, the person responsible for delivery shall file a written notice of such birth on a form with the department. The department shall promulgate rules which shall define the high risk problems and shall provide such reporting forms and shall set forth the procedure to be followed when making such reports. Such notices and reports shall be for the use of the department and its programs and shall not constitute a public record.(b) The department shall submit an annual report to the general court not later than October 1 on the status of premature and high risk infants. The report shall include: (i) a description of the progress in implementing section 67C; (ii) information about the incidence and cause of re-hospitalizations of infants born premature within their first 6 months of life; and (iii) recommendations for improvement of newborn health outcomes and ensuring continued health quality improvement, including recommendations concerning technological needs to improve monitoring of premature infants after discharge from the hospital and transition to a health care provider.