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Media Release - New Maternity Funding 
								
								
										 2 July 2007
								
						
						
								New funding for primary maternity services comes into effect this week (NB 
								July 1) as part of the Government's ongoing commitment to strengthening the 
								provision of primary maternity services.
						
						
								The $11.4 million in funding will be allocated through the Section 88 Maternity 
								Notice, the contract through which the Government pays for primary 
								maternity services. It will be available to all those involved in providing primary 
								maternity care, including lead maternity carers, midwives, GPs providing first 
								trimester care, radiologists who perform ultrasounds, obstetricians and 
								paediatricians .
						
						
								"New Zealand needs nationally consistent maternity services. This will assist 
								primary health care providers to work better together to ensure high quality 
								services are available to women,'' Ministry spokesman Dr Pat Tuohy says.
						
						
								Among the changes are a new first trimester module, which aims to improve 
								the quality and continuity of first trimester services and encourage GPs to 
								remain involved in the care of women in the early stages of pregnancy. The fee 
								for the new first trimester module can now be claimed by the woman's 
								enrolling PHO practice, recognising continuity of care between primary care 
								and maternity care in the early stages of pregnancy.
						
						
								The Ministry of Health is also exploring opportunities to provide first trimester 
								clinical updates to all primary care maternity practitioners involved in the care 
								of pregnant women.
						
						
								Dr Tuohy says the new funding follows an $18.4 million injection into primary 
								maternity care in December 2005.
						
						
								"The additional funding recognises the value and importance of supporting the 
								maternity workforce as a whole, and in particular those providing lead 
								maternity care to women,'' he says.
						
						
								The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners and the New Zealand 
						
				
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				College of Midwives have worked closely together on guidelines for women to 
				receive services which are better integrated to provide the best possible care.'' 
				The first round of consultation on a review of the Section 88 Notice was 
				carried out in 2005 and resulted in pricing adjustments that came into effect in 
				December 2005. Further consultation was completed last year on some of the 
				service specifications, quality requirements and prices.
				
						
								
										Questions and answers 
								
						
						1) What are the main service changes to the Section 88 Maternity Notice?
						
								• 
								Women can now register with an LMC from the time they are pregnant 
						
						
								until six weeks after birth 
								‐ 
								previously women could not register with an 
						
						LMC until the second trimester. 
						
								• 
								Babies must now be registered on the National Immunisation Register. 
						
						
								• 
								LMCs will now receive a payment to attend an elective caesarean 
						
						section. Previously LMCs, who provided community based antenatal 
						and postnatal care for women having caesarean sections, were not 
						funded if they attended the caesarean section at the woman's request 
						or in case of special need. 
						
								• 
								A new first trimester module, which aims to encourage GPs to remain 
						
						involved in the care of women in the early stages of pregnancy. The 
						new first trimester module fee can be claimed by the woman's enrolling 
						PHO practice, recognising continuity of care between primary care and 
						maternity care in the early stages of pregnancy. 
						
								• 
								From 1 July 2007, GPs will receive a first trimester fee of $110 (excl 
						
						GST) for a module of care to be provided between pregnancy 
						confirmation (no earlier than six to eight weeks) and the end of the first 
						trimester 14 weeks (a period of about six to eight weeks). Previously 
						they received $28.89 per visit. Most women should need only one to 
						two visits during this time and many will need only one. In addition, 
						GPs can claim an additional $40 ($110 + $40 GST excl) if they provide 
						advice for threatened miscarriage, miscarriage or termination during 
						this time.
				
				
						
								2) How much funding has gone into primary maternity care in the last 18 months? 
						
						In December 2005 the Government provided an additional $18.4 million for 
						the primary maternity care sector. The next year a $2 million fund for rural 
						midwives was established and $4.7 million was allocated over two years to a 
						pilot programme aimed at supporting new graduate midwives working in both 
						primary and secondary services. About $17 million of the $20 million of 
						funding which goes into rural primary health care services goes to support 
						rural GPs. Another $11.4 million is being injected from July 1 and will be 
						allocated through the Section 88 Maternity Notice.
				
				
						3) How many GPs, obstetricians and midwives are currently providing lead 
						
								maternity care services in New
								Zealand? 
						
						From 1 January 2007 63 GPs, 47 obstetricans and about 1126 midwives made 
						a claim for the labour and birth module. The labour and birth module can only 
						be claimed by lead maternity carers.
				
				
						4) How many babies were born in New Zealand in 2006? 
						According to Statistics New Zealand there were 59,193 live births in 2006.
				
		
		
				
						5) What operational changes will providers see as a result
						of the changes? 
				
				Healthpac is changing the provider number for all providers under the new 
				contract. Midwives and GPs who provide primary maternity services should 
				have received an information pack and a copy of the new Notice outlining the 
				changes, their new provider number and how they can claim. Providers who 
				have not received an information pack can call 0800 281 222 option 4 then 
				option 1.
		
		
				
						Rebecca Walsh 
				
				
						Media Advisor 
				
				
						Ministry of Health 
				
				
						DDI: 04 496 2115 
				
				
						Mobile: 021 277 5411 
				
				
						<a href="http://www.moh.govt.nz">
								http://www.moh.govt.nz
						</a>
						 
				
				
						<a href="mailto:RebeccaWalsh@moh.govt.nz">
								Mailto:RebeccaWalsh@moh.govt.nz
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