Get Accredited

Benefits of Accreditation

Accreditation from the CABC will help you:

• Demonstrate your strong commitment to providing high quality maternity care to:
  • Childbearing families
  • Insurance companies
  • Maternity care colleagues
  • Your community
• Learn to develop and use a strong Continuous Quality Improvement program that will allow you to:
  • Recognize any quality issues quickly
  • Systematically work to resolve issues in order to assure that you provide the very best possible maternity care
• Develop policies and procedures that support the midwifery model of care, enhance risk management, and allow you to provide evidence-based maternity care.
• Strengthen your position when negotiating with insurance companies.
• Learn from experienced experts in birth center operations who
  want to help your birth center succeed.
• Enhance pride in your birth center among your staff, consumers, and collaborative physicians.
• Provide support with your collaborative physicians and birth center or hospital administrators,  for your use of:
  • Evidence-based maternity care practices and
  • Avoidance of inappropriate use of technology

Eligibility Criteria

1. One-Year Accreditation is available for new birth centers with less than 100 births or open less than 1 year.  (The birth center must be ready to attend births, completely stocked with supplies, have attending staff and policies in place.)
2. Three-Year Accreditation is available for established centers seeking initial accreditation, as well as re-accreditation.
3. The birth center is in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
4. If required by the jurisdiction, the birth center must be licensed.
5. If required by the state, all health care providers who are the primary attendant at births are licensed to attend births by the state.
6. The birth center is invested in meeting accreditation criteria and has reviewed the current:
   • AABC Standards (included in the CABC Accreditation Manual)
   • and CABC Indicators
7. The birth center submits the completed, signed Application for Accreditation and all supporting documentation, and all fees in accordance with the published Timeline and Tasks.
8. The birth center acts in good faith in providing complete and accurate information during the accreditation process during the accreditation and during a term of accreditation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can an accredited birth center be owned by a hospital?

Yes.

Can an accredited birth center be in a hospital?

Yes.

Which health care providers can be the primary attendant at births at an accredited birth center?

• Certified Nurse-Midwives
• Certified Professional Midwives
• Family Practice Physicians
• Licensed Midwives
• Obstetricians
• Any health care provider who is licensed to attend births by the state

Can an accredited birth center do VBACs?

Yes and there are specific requirements for VBACs. Refer to the current CABC Indicators for more details.

Can an accredited birth center do breech and twin/multiple births?

No. Refer to the current CABC Indicators for more details.

Can an accredited birth center use drugs for the induction or augmentation of labor, forceps, or vacuum extractor?

No. Refer to the current CABC Indicators for more details.

More Questions?

Contact the CABC to ask about your specific situation.

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