58-77-601. Standards of practice.
(1) Prior to providing any services, a licensed direct-entry midwife must obtain an informed consent from a client. The consent must include: the name and license number of the direct-entry midwife; the client's name, address, telephone number, and primary care provider, if the client has one; the fact, if true, that the licensed direct-entry midwife is not a certified nurse midwife or a physician; a description of the licensed direct-entry midwife's education, training, continuing education, and experience in midwifery; a description of the licensed direct-entry midwife's peer review process; the licensed direct-entry midwife's philosophy of practice; a promise to provide the client, upon request, separate documents describing the rules governing licensed direct-entry midwifery practice, including a list of conditions indicating the need for consultation, collaboration, referral, transfer or mandatory transfer, and the licensed direct-entry midwife's personal written practice guidelines; a medical back-up or transfer plan; a description of the services provided to the client by the licensed direct-entry midwife; the licensed direct-entry midwife's current legal status; the availability of a grievance process; client and licensed direct-entry midwife signatures and the date of signing; and whether the licensed direct-entry midwife is covered by a professional liability insurance policy.
(2) A licensed direct-entry midwife shall: limit the licensed direct-entry midwife's practice to a normal pregnancy, labor, postpartum, newborn and interconceptual care, which for purposes of this section means a normal labor: that is not pharmacologically induced; that is low risk at the start of labor; that remains low risk through out the course of labor and delivery; in which the infant is born spontaneously in the vertex position between 37 and 43 completed weeks of pregnancy; and except as provided in Subsection, in which after delivery, the mother and infant remain low risk; and (2)(a)(ii) the limitation of Subsectiondoes not prohibit a licensed direct-entry midwife from delivering an infant when there is: (2)(a)(i) intrauterine fetal demise; or a fetal anomaly incompatible with life; and appropriately recommend and facilitate consultation with, collaboration with, referral to, or transfer or mandatory transfer of care to a licensed health care professional when the circumstances require that action in accordance with this section and standards established by division rule.
(3) If after a client has been informed that she has or may have a condition indicating the need for medical consultation, collaboration, referral, or transfer and the client chooses to decline, then the licensed direct-entry midwife shall: terminate care in accordance with procedures established by division rule; or continue to provide care for the client if the client signs a waiver of medical consultation, collaboration, referral, or transfer.
(4) If after a client has been informed that she has or may have a condition indicating the need for mandatory transfer, the licensed direct-entry midwife shall, in accordance with procedures established by division rule, terminate the care or initiate transfer by: calling 911 and reporting the need for immediate transfer; immediately transporting the client by private vehicle to the receiving provider; or contacting the physician to whom the client will be transferred and following that physician's orders.
(5) The standards for consultation and transfer are the minimum standards that a licensed direct-entry midwife must follow. A licensed direct-entry midwife shall initiate consultation, collaboration, referral, or transfer of a patient sooner than required by administrative rule if in the opinion and experience of the licensed direct-entry midwife, the condition of the client or infant warrant a consultation, collaboration, referral, or transfer.
(6) This chapter does not mandate health insurance coverage for midwifery services.