Florida's Department of Health, Children's Medical Services has established a system of specialty perinatal centers for high-risk pregnant women and newborns. The Regional Perinatal Intensive Care Centers (RPICC) provides specialized high-risk newborn care and prenatal care for high-risk pregnant women at 11 sites in Florida. to RPICCs assist high-risk pregnant women , in receiving specialized care in an effort to achieve healthy outcomes for the woman and the newborn. Increasing early entry of high-risk pregnant women into specialty obstetric (OB) Care is especially important. and a consequent For pregnant women at risk of a premature or low birth weight newborn, medical providers work to , maintain the pregnancy long enough for optimal health and development inside of the womb. . Increasing early entry of high risk pregnant women into specialty OB Care is especially important to reducing VLBW births. When low birth weight infants and other at risk babies are born, RPICCs provide babies the specialized care their vulnerable situation demands at a critical juncture in their lives in Neonatal Intensive Care Centers (NICU). The RPICCs have demonstrated improved outcomes and cost avoidance of early identification and intervention with specialized care for high-risk pregnant and newborns.

Figure 29: Numbers Served and Cost Avoidance in the RPICC Program

Source: Children's Medical Services, Florida Department of Health for RPICC data and cost savings and Florida Vital Statistics for birth weight data Note: Savings were projected by CMS on fewer VLBW births due to early special care for pregnant high-risk women.

The RPICC program serves as an important model for improving care for at risk pregnant women and vulnerable newborns in Florida. Very low birth weight (VLBW) infants are born at less than 1,500 grams or 3½ pounds, most will be underdeveloped with respiratory, feeding, and temperature control problems. Ideally, all VLBW and other high-risk infants would be cared for in a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at birth. Besides the RPPIC program there are approximately 12 other Level III NICU centers in Florida hospitals. A Healthy People 2010 goal is for 90 percent of VLBW infants to be delivered at facilities for high-risk deliveries and neonates where specialty care is available. Florida expects to reach and maintain this goal by 2005.