An amendment to the Accident Compensation (AC) Act was introduced in December 2021 which expands ACC’s cover to include maternal birth injuries as personal injury by accident, (caused by the application of an internal force i.e the baby). The injuries covered include first to fourth degree perineal tears and cervical lacerations along with a number of other injuries.
The ACC website outlines the new legislation and the diagnosis codes covered under this legislation.
Te Whatu Ora Taranaki’s policy for ACC related patient specialist referrals is to ask the GP to redirect these to a private provider where there is a service available in Taranaki. The message back to the GP is “decline, not eligible”.
You will be aware that Te Whatu Ora Taranaki has been following this policy for its specialist services referrals for many years. This policy will also be applicable to maternal birth injuries so please be aware these ACC related referrals will be returned to you for referral to a private service.
The Ministry of Health introduced changes to the claiming process for maternity services in November 2021. PMS systems have been updated to reflect these changes and this will go a long way to guide providers to through the new claims available.
Read moreTe Whatu Ora Taranaki has an 0800 phone number available 24/7 for pregnant/birthing people to call if in labour with urgent concerns, for non-urgent antenatal or postnatal queries, or if they are simply looking for a midwife. Patients can call 0800 1MyBaby (0800 169 22 29).
Read moreThis programme is available for women with diabetes in pregnancy who need to start insulin and have been referred by the diabetes in pregnancy team.
View detailsACC, the Ministry of Health, the Health Quality & Safety Commission and Foetal Anti-Convulsant Syndrome New Zealand are encouraging health professionals to discuss the benefits and risks of taking antiepileptic medicine during pregnancy.