§ 7–743.09. Advisory Committee on Maternal Care Professionals.

(a)(1) There is established an Advisory Committee on Maternal Care Professionals ("Advisory Committee") to consist of 7 members as follows:

(A) The Director of the Department of Health, or designee;

(B) Two certified professional midwives, as that term is defined in § 3-1201.01(1D);

(C) One doula, as that term is defined in § 3-1201.01(6C);

(D) One licensed physician who is an obstetrician certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and who has professional experience working with certified professional midwives or other community-based midwives;

(E) One certified nurse-midwife or certified midwife, as those terms are defined in § 3-1201.01(1C) and (1B-i), who has worked in a non-hospital setting or who has professional experience working with certified professional midwives; and

(F) One consumer member who has experience with either midwifery or doula services.

(2) Individuals appointed in accordance with paragraph (1) of this subsection who are required to be licensed or certified shall be licensed or certified to practice their respective professions in the District.

(b) Of the appointees to the Advisory Committee, other than the Director of the Department of Health, 3 shall serve an initial term of 2 years and 3 shall serve an initial term of 3 years. Subsequent appointments shall be for terms of 3 years.

(c) The Advisory Committee shall advise the Board of Medicine on:

(1) Certifying doulas and regulating the practice of doulas in the District;

(2) Regulating the practice of certified professional midwifery in the District and developing guidelines for licensing certified professional midwives that shall:

(A) Be consistent with the standards of practice and ethical conduct established by the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives and the North American Registry of Midwives ("NARM"); provided, that these practice guidelines shall not be interpreted to set, establish, define, enumerate, or otherwise lower the applicable standard of care for a certified professional midwife or certified nurse-midwife;

(B) Define expected standards of practice and conduct;

(C) Specify a process for a certified professional midwife to obtain appropriate screening and testing for clients, including laboratory tests, urinalysis, and ultrasounds;

(D) Specify a process for a certified professional midwife to obtain and administer antihemorrhagic agents, including:

(i) Pitocin, oxytocin, misoprostol, and methergine;

(ii) Intravenous fluids, neonatal injectable vitamin K, newborn antibiotic eye prophylaxis, oxygen, intravenous antibiotics for Group B Streptococcal antibiotic prophylaxis, Rho (D) immune globulin, local anesthetic, epinephrine, and terbutaline for non-reassuring fetal heart tones and cord prolapse pending transport;

(iii) Globulin, local anesthetic, and epinephrine; and

(iv) Other pharmaceutical agents, consistent with either the scope of the practice of midwifery, or a prescription issued by a health professional for a patient-client of a midwife, that are approved by the Board of Medicine;

(E) Authorize medical device distributors and manufacturers to issue breast pumps, compression stockings and belts, and maternity belts to certified professional midwives;

(F) Require a certified professional midwife to provide each client with a signed informed consent form that describes the certified professional midwife's qualifications, education, a copy of the certified professional midwife's emergency plan, whether the certified professional midwife carries professional liability insurance, and the benefits and risks of birth in the setting of choice of the patient-client, and maintain a record of each patient-client's signed informed consent form;

(G) Require a certified professional midwife, subject to the consent of the patient-client, to report the patient-client's data to a national data registry, such as the Midwives Alliance of North America Statistical Registry or the AABC Perinatal Registry;

(H) Adopt professional continuing education requirements for certified professional midwives consistent with those required by NARM for recertification;

(I) Establish requirements for peer review consistent with those required by NARM for recertification under which information disclosed for peer review shall be protected in accordance with § 44-805; and

(J) Require the certified professional midwife to file a birth certificate for each live birth attended by a certified professional midwife, in accordance with § 7-231.08.

(d) Guidelines developed pursuant to subsection (c)(2) of this section shall not be interpreted to set, establish, define, enumerate, or otherwise lower the applicable standard of care for a licensed physician, licensed naturopathic physician, certified professional midwife, certified nurse-midwife, certified midwife, doula, or licensed basic or advanced emergency medical technician.

(e) Guidelines currently approved by the Board of Medicine under § 3-1202.03, shall remain in effect until revised guidelines are submitted to and approved by the Board of Medicine.