Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Introduction

A Perinatal Center must be capable of providing the highest level of care for high risk women and neonates and must have an administrative staff responsible for implementing the Department of Public Health’s Regionalized Perinatal Program.

The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) clinical and administrative perinatal centers are located within the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System. This brings together academia, clinical research, and advanced clinical services in one location. All of the major health care professions including medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, allied health, and public health are located in one place. UI Health and ambulatory clinics are equipped with the latest technology and are staffed with highly trained personnel. As a result of this rich mix of expertise and advanced technology, the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System is able to provide sophisticated sub-specialty care 24/7 and is an ideal site for the referral of high risk pregnancies and high risk neonates.

UIC has been an active participant in the development, implementation, and ongoing administration of the Regionalized Perinatal Program in Illinois since the late 1970s. From the inception of perinatal regionalization, UIC has had a continuous record of active involvement in improving outcomes for pregnancies and neonates by providing progressive care and improving care within its network of hospitals through the provision of exemplary professional education, program implementation, and quality monitoring.

820 S Wood St. MC 808 Room 217
Phone 312-996-4390
Fax 312-413-0264
E-mail perinatalcenter@uic.edu

Role of the UIC Perinatal Center

Illinois Department of Public Health Perinatal Program

Clinical Responsibilities: The Regionalized Perinatal Healthcare Code 640 requires the Administrative Perinatal Center be part of a university or university affiliated hospital. These clinical sites must be capable of providing the highest level of care within the region for high-risk maternal and neonatal patients and must participate in a thorough re-designation site visit every three years to verify that they have the required specialized personnel and services available 24 hours a day.

  • Perinatal Transport System

UI Health provides:

  • 24/7 telephone consultation services with UIC Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialists and Neonatologists
  • Transport services for high-risk maternal and neonatal patients
  • Specialized and comprehensive high-risk obstetrical services
  • Specialized high-risk neonatal services including:
    • Prenatal consultation for high-risk fetuses
    • Neurodevelopmental follow-up

For a consultation or a transport of a patient to the University of Illinois Hospital, call 855.455.IPAL (4725)

Required documentation for transfers:

  • Patient Name and Face Sheet (including insurance information and date of birth)
  • Most recent set of vital signs
  • Height and weight
  • Level of consciousness
  • If applicable, oxygen source and oxygen requirements
  • Isolation status
  • Location of patient (Emergency department, general unit, step-down unit, ICU)
  • Special needs (bariatric bed, water hook up room, sitter, telemetry monitor, oxygen saturation monitor, prisoner)
  • Name and dosage of any continuous medication infusions
  • Additional items will be requested as needed

Please fax all required documents to the Transfer Center at 312.413.9207

Administrative Responsibilities: The Administrative Perinatal Center (APC) must have dedicated staff responsible for providing leadership, oversight, and education for its network hospitals. Specifically, IDPH requires Administrative Regional Perinatal Centers to be responsible for:

  • Designing and implementing IDPH’s Quality Improvement (CQI) Program
  • Collecting and analyzing data
  • Conducting perinatal morbidity and mortality reviews with network hospitals
  • Conducting re-designation site visits at network Hhospitals to evaluate perinatal services and outcomes
  • Providing educational programs for clinicians to ensure optimal perinatal care
  • Monitoring the maternal and neonatal transport system

The APC also participates in the re-designation site visit every three years to validate fulfillment of its responsibilities.

Quality Improvement Activities:
Monitoring Standards and Outcomes of Perinatal Care: The APC monitors service and outcome standards through: hospital re-designation site visits, morbidity and mortality reviews, quality improvement projects, and data analysis.

IDPH partnered with the Illinois Perinatal Quality Collaborative (ILPQC) in late 2012 when the Illinois Perinatal Advisory Committee’s Prematurity Task Force recommended that resources be provided for a perinatal quality collaborative to work in tandem with the Regionalized Perinatal Program.  Since its inception, IDPH & ILPQC engage in ongoing perinatal quality improvement initiatives.  Each initiative adds value for all perinatal stakeholders, optimizes resources, spreads best practices, reduces variation, and promotes family and patient-centeredness.

Network

UIC Network Hospitals 

Level 3: Hospitals that provide care for patients requiring increasingly complex care and operate a NICU. These hospitals provide comprehensive care for women experiencing complicated, high-risk pregnancies and newborns with special care needs. Both departments accept referrals and have experienced maternal and neonatal transport teams to transport high risk mothers or babies requiring Level III care.

  • Advocate Christ Medical Center, Oak Lawn
  • Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove
  • Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, Park Ridge
  • UI Health, Chicago

Level 2: Hospitals that provide care to women and newborns at moderate risk, operate intermediate care nurseries and do not operate NICU or Special Care Nursery.

  • Advocate South Suburban Hospital, Hazel Crest
  • Advocate Trinity Hospital, Chicago
  • Holy Cross Hospital, Chicago
  • Presence Mercy Medical Center, Aurora

In Illinois, through the perinatal regionalization system; level I, II, IIE, and III hospitals are evaluated every 3 years by the IDPH Office of Women’s Health through re-designation site visits. These site visits follow the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules 640 rule and Part 250 Hospital and Licensing Requirements.

Perinatal Center Contact Information

Perinatal Network Co-Directors:

  • Dr. Laura DiGiovanni, MD, FACOG
    Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine
    Associate Professor of Clinical Obstetrics & Gynecology
    Co-Director, IDPH Perinatal Administrative Center at UIC
    Director, Ob Ultrasound & Fetal Imaging

  • De-Ann Pillers, MD, PhD, FAAP
    Dharmapuri Vidyasagar Professor and Head, Section of Neonatology
    Program Director, Fellowship Training Program in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
    Vice-Head for Academics, Department of Pediatrics
    Co-Director, UIC-IDPH Perinatal Administrative Center, University of Illinois, Chicago

Perinatal Network Administrator:

  • Joanne Sorce, MSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM

Perinatal Network Educator:

  • Christina Stupek, MSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM

Perinatal Data Coordinator:

  • Mona Strahan, MPH

Perinatal Office Support Specialist:

  • Alina Miller, BA