Across the United States, all 50 states have maternal mortality review committees; Washington, DC and several territories run them as well.
Wondering where maternal death reviews actually happen? You’re in the right place. This guide lays out the coverage across the country, what these panels do, how they work with national data systems, and why their findings steer real prevention steps. You’ll also see where federal support fits in, plus a concise view of the review process from case identification to recommendations.
What Maternal Mortality Review Committees Do
These multidisciplinary panels look at deaths during pregnancy and the year after. Members pull medical charts, vital records, and other relevant files to understand what happened, decide if a death was related to pregnancy, and pinpoint ways to stop similar tragedies. The goal isn’t blame; it’s prevention grounded in evidence and context.
How A Case Moves Through Review
First, the state identifies deaths that occurred during pregnancy or within a year after the pregnancy ended. Next, trained abstractors compile a full case summary using a standard tool. The committee then meets, votes on pregnancy relatedness, assesses preventability, and writes recommendations targeted at patients, clinicians, facilities, systems, and public programs. Many panels use the CDC’s Maternal Mortality Review Information Application (MMRIA) to keep the work consistent across places.
Where Reviews Operate Across The Country
Every state now operates a committee. Beyond the states, the nation’s capital and several territories also run panels, and many jurisdictions use CDC’s MMRIA platform for standardized data and decisions. The snapshot below shows the scope at a glance.
| Jurisdiction Type | Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| States | 50 | All states operate review committees. |
| District Of Columbia | 1 | Runs a district panel aligned with national methods. |
| Territories & Freely Associated States (with CDC ERASE MM support) | 6 | CDC has issued awards to support six; all jurisdictions can use MMRIA. |
For background on the program that funds and supports many of these efforts, see CDC’s page on ERASE MM, which describes participation, funding awards, and the national map of users. You can also read CDC’s overview of maternal mortality review committees and how jurisdictions build and run them using shared methods.
States With Maternal Death Review Panels: The Count And Scope
The headline answer is simple: every state now has a panel reviewing deaths linked to pregnancy. That coverage is meaningful because it enables comparisons across places, shared learning, and common metrics for preventability. Many committees publish public reports. Others share data through MMRIA so their findings can roll up into national trend summaries.
Why Full Coverage Matters For Prevention
When each state runs a panel, patterns show up faster. Common contributors—such as delays in seeking care, barriers to follow-up, gaps in mental health or substance-use support, and challenges with care coordination—stand out across cases. That clarity guides actions for prenatal services, hospital protocols, postpartum follow-up, and community programs. It also helps state leaders track whether changes are working over time.
Who Sits On These Panels
Membership spans obstetrics, maternal-fetal medicine, family medicine, anesthesia, nursing, midwifery, emergency care, pathology, public health, behavioral health, social work, and patient advocates. The diverse mix allows the group to weigh clinical factors alongside social and logistical hurdles that may have shaped a case.
How Committees Use Standard Tools
Most panels align with CDC guidance and use common forms to decide pregnancy relatedness and preventability, then record contributing factors and recommended actions. The goal is apples-to-apples reviews so states can compare patterns and feed clean data into roll-up analyses. CDC outlines the toolset and training on its page for MMRC guides and tools, and explains how MMRIA supports abstraction, case summaries, committee decisions, and analysis in About the Data: MMRIA.
Funding Support And National Rollups
CDC’s ERASE MM program funds dozens of jurisdictions while making MMRIA available nationwide. Funding helps coordinators stand up staff time, train abstractors, and maintain meeting schedules. The data then inform publicly shared charts on causes of death, preventability, and recommended actions. See CDC’s latest “Pregnancy-Related Deaths: Data from MMRCs” landing page for timing and methods used in aggregated reports.
What Varies From Place To Place
Not every committee publishes on the same cadence, and report formats differ. Some panels sit under state health departments; others partner with medical societies or universities. A few jurisdictions experienced leadership changes or pauses in review cycles due to staffing or statutory shifts, then resumed work with new structures. Coverage still remains nationwide, and states continue refining operations to keep reviews timely and useful.
From Findings To Action
Committees don’t stop at classification. They point to concrete steps: screening pathways, perinatal quality improvement, transport protocols, warm handoffs for mental health and substance use care, and safer discharge planning. The best reports spell out “who should do what,” so health systems, payers, and community teams can move quickly.
How A Typical Review Cycle Looks
Every panel follows a similar arc. The outline below captures the key checkpoints, based on common practices described by CDC and reflected in state reports. This helps readers interpret state summaries and understand how decisions get made.
| Stage | What Happens | Main Output |
|---|---|---|
| Case Identification | Deaths during pregnancy or within one year post-pregnancy are flagged for review. | Case list with basic descriptors. |
| Abstraction & Summary | Abstractors compile records and draft a standardized case summary, often in MMRIA. | Structured case packet for the panel. |
| Committee Meeting | Members vote on relatedness and preventability; document contributing factors. | Decisions with supporting notes. |
| Recommendations | Targeted actions for systems, facilities, teams, and programs are written and assigned. | Prioritized action list for implementation. |
| Publication & Follow-Up | Reports share themes and actions; partners track progress across cycles. | Public report and internal tracking plan. |
How To Read State Reports With Care
When comparing states, check the time frame covered, the number of cases reviewed, and the percentage deemed preventable. Confirm whether pregnancy-associated deaths are included or only those labeled pregnancy-related. Look for details on contributing factors and whether actions are assigned to a specific party—patient education, clinician training, new protocols, payer policies, or community services.
Common Contributors Committees Flag
Across jurisdictions, several themes surface again and again: delays in recognizing warning signs, missed follow-up visits, fragmented communication among teams, limited access to specialty care, and barriers tied to transportation, leave, or coverage. Reports also highlight conditions such as hypertensive disorders, hemorrhage, cardiomyopathy, thromboembolism, mental health conditions, and substance use. Because committees document both clinical and non-clinical factors, action lists usually span bedside care and system design.
What Nationwide Coverage Means For Families
With review panels in place everywhere, patients and families benefit from clearer, faster feedback loops. A hazard spotted in one place—say a discharge gap or a handoff breakdown—can spread fixes across many systems. That’s the value of common forms and shared dashboards: similar problems trigger similar solutions, even across borders.
Where To Find Official Methods And Data
For a deep look at standardized methods and committee forms, read CDC’s MMRC guides and tools. For jurisdictional participation, funding awards, and the interactive map, see the ERASE MM page. For current national rollups drawn from shared data, visit CDC’s landing page on pregnancy-related deaths data from MMRCs.
Quick Answers To Common Reader Questions
Is There A Committee In Every State?
Yes—state-level review now spans the entire country. Washington, DC and several territories also operate panels.
Do All Jurisdictions Use The Same Software?
Many use MMRIA, which CDC provides. The platform supports abstraction, committee decisions, and analysis in a shared format.
Are Recommendations Public?
Many states publish reports, though timing and format vary. Where reports aren’t public, jurisdictional summaries still feed national analyses through standardized data sharing.
Bottom Line For Policy And Practice
Coverage is nationwide, methods are aligned, and shared tools help states produce comparable findings. The practical takeaway: act on committee recommendations with clear owners and timelines, monitor results, and keep reviews timely so lessons move from paper to bedside care without delay.