Section 2110.50  Prenatal Visits

A licensed health care professional providing prenatal care to a woman at a prenatal visit shall:

a)         Once during the pregnancy, provide education regarding the signs and symptoms of perinatal mental health disorders, including but not limited to offering materials to the patient, and if possible, to fathers, partners and other family members.

b)         Once during the pregnancy, request permission from the pregnant patient to offer education regarding perinatal mental health disorders to fathers, partners and other family members.

c)         Invite the pregnant patient, at least once during the pregnancy, to complete a perinatal mental health disorders questionnaire unless the patient states that she has already completed such a questionnaire during the current pregnancy.  The questionnaire must be offered more frequently when, in the professional judgment of the licensed health care professional, a reasonable possibility exists that the woman suffers from perinatal mental health disorders.

d)         Repeat the questionnaire for perinatal mental health disorders when, in the professional judgment of the licensed health care professional, a reasonable possibility exists that the woman suffers from perinatal mental health disorders.

e)         Review the completed questionnaire in accordance with the formal opinions and recommendations of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Information and materials may be found at www.acog.org., with respect to perinatal mental health disorders. The ACOG Depression Toolkit may be found at http://mail.ny.acog.org/website/DepressionToolkit.pdf.

f)         Document the offer of the questionnaire in the patient record. 

g)         Obtain the patient's consent to share the results of the questionnaire with the patient's primary licensed healthcare professional, if indicated by criteria commonly relied upon by providers in assessing a patient's mental health. If the patient is determined to present an acute danger to herself or someone else, consent is not required.

h)         Document action taken if the questionnaire indicates that the woman is experiencing symptoms of perinatal mental health disorders.