Montana FICMMR Report

• April 2015: Child and Teen Mortality Decreasing in Montana, 1979-2013

Resources

• Fetal Death Screening Tool
• FICMMR Team Member Annual Confidentiality Statement
• FICMMR Team Meeting Sign In Sheet
• FICMMR Operational Plan Template
• FICMMR County MOU Agreement
• Sending Secure Documents - State ePass System Instructions
• Who Does the Review on Out-of-County Deaths

Evidence-Based Resources:  Maternal & Infant Health, Teens & Motor Vehicle Safety, Suicide Prevention

• Website Links to Evidence-Based and Informed, and Emerging/Promising/Best-Practice Resources Explore to find resources and articles about proven and scientifically-based activities, with toolkits, examples from other states, and more.

• https://www.nsc.org/safety-training/defensive-driving/teen-driving

Infant Safe Sleep Videos, Testimony

• CDC Vital Signs: Safe Sleep for Babies

• Safe Sleep Recommendations - American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP),  2016 (most current)

More Safe Sleep Resources

• What Does a Safe Sleep Environment Look Like?

• Baby Sleep Safely Infographic

• AAP Safe Sleep Recommendations Complete Listing

• Safe Infant Sleep Interventions: What is the Evidence for Successful Behavior Change?

Transportation Safety

• Teen Driving
  • JAMA: Distracted Driving and Motor Vehicle Crashes Among Teens

FICMMR is a statewide effort to reduce preventable fetal, infant, child and maternal deaths.  While the program is statewide, it is powered locally by multi-disciplinary county teams.

Review team members are comprised of health and social service professionals, law enforcement, coroners, tribal representatives, and experts from other fields as indicated in the Fetal, Infant Child and Maternal Mortality Prevention (FICMMP) Act.  FICMMR is the implementation of this legislation.

The FICMMP pre-curser legislation was first authorized in state statute in 1997, it is now delineated in MCA 50-19-401 through 50-19-406. The FICMMP Act provides strict confidentiality requirements and death reviews are conducted in closed meetings.  See the ‘Fetal, Infant, Child and Maternal Mortality Prevention Act’ link on this website.

The prevention of fetal, infant, child and maternal deaths is both the policy of the state of Montana and a community responsibility. These deaths can be viewed as a sentinel event - which is a measure of a community's overall social and economic well-being and health.

FICMMR review teams share and discuss comprehensive information on the circumstances leading to a death, if it was preventable, and the response to the death. The process identifies critical community strengths and needs - in order to effectively address the unique social, health, and economic issues associated with negative health outcomes which may have caused or contributed to the preventable death.   

The goal of the FICMMR program is to reduce risk factors, and decrease the number of preventable deaths through educational outreach and evidence-based and best-practice prevention initiatives.

Confidentiality of all information is strictly maintained and is addressed in statute. A review team member who knowingly uses information obtained in the review process for a purpose not authorized, or who discloses information in violation of the FICMMP statute, upon conviction is guilty of a misdemeanor which is punishable as provided in the law.

The Fetal, Infant and Child Mortality Prevention Act was passed during the 1997 Legislative Session through the approval of House Bill 333. The first six provisions of HB 333 have been codified as §§ 50-19-401 to -406, MCA. HB 333 amended existing law to facilitate the Act.

The provisions of the FICMMP Act are as follows:

(1) allow teams to access health care information without the need for a signed consent;
(2) allow teams to access criminal justice information through the county attorney or a person designated by the county attorney;
(3) set out the permissible functions of mortality review teams;
(4) set out minimum requirements on membership and management of mortality review teams;
(5) provide penalties for the unlawful release of confidential information by members of mortality review teams; and
(6) mandate that the Montana Initiative for the Abatement of Mortality in Infants (MIAMI) be coordinated with mortality review teams

Additional References:

§ 41-3-205, MCA (Teams may receive child protection records.)
§ 44-5-303, MCA (Teams may receive criminal justice information.)
§ 50-16-525, MCA (Teams may receive health care information.)
§ 50-19-323, MCA (Coordination of programs with MIAMI.)
§ 50-15-122 (7), MCA (Disclosure of information from vital records or vital reports – rules.)

View the complete FICMMP Act #50-19-401-406.

Through a data agreement with the National Center for Fatality Review and Prevention, Montana fetal, infant and child death data is entered into a secure, database system.  The FICMMR team leaders use the Child Death Review Case Reporting System, Version 4.1. 

Version 5.0 is anticipated in spring 2018 with a new name, the National Fatality Review-Case Reporting System (NFR-CRS). This more accurately reflects the age range of deaths covered: fetal, infant and child. Version 5.0 will offer new, tailored fetal and infant pathways unique to these types of deaths, and will remain the same for child death reporting.

To access the CDR Version 4.1, click on the link below:

CDR website for uploading case reviews

FICMMR teams review and record maternal death data using the Montana Maternal Mortality Case Review Report.