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Cesarean Birth

Compare Versions of: "Cesarean Birth"

The Compare function compares two years of the measure specifications found in the header of the measure's HTML. It does not include a comparison of any information in the body of the HTML, e.g., population criteria, Clinical Quality Language, or value sets.

Strikethrough text highlighted in red indicates information changed from the previous version. Text highlighted in green indicates information updated in the new eCQM version.

Compare 2026 version to

Table Options
Measure Information 2026 Reporting Period
Title Cesarean Birth
CMS eCQM ID CMS334v7
Short Name

PC-02

CBE ID* 0471e
Measure Steward The Joint Commission
Description

Nulliparous patients with a term, singleton baby in a vertex position delivered by cesarean birth

Measure Scoring Proportion measure
Measure Type Outcome
Stratification

None

Risk Adjustment

None

Rationale

The removal of any pressure to not perform a cesarean birth has led to a skyrocketing of hospital, state and national cesarean birth (CB) rates. Some hospitals’ CB rates were over 50%. Hospitals with CB rates at 15-20% have infant outcomes that are just as good and better maternal...

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Clinical Recommendation Statement

The ACOG report, Evaluation of Cesarean Delivery (2000), recognizes the importance of the Nulliparous, Term, Singleton, Vertex (NTSV) population as the optimal focus for measurement and quality improvement action. A reduction in the number of nulliparous patients with live term singleton...

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Improvement Notation

Decreased score indicates improvement - The Joint Commission does not encourage inappropriately low Cesarean rates that may be unsafe to patients. Acceptable PC-02 rates are 30% or lower, however there is not an established threshold for what rate may be too low. PC-06 serves as a...

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Definition

Parity: The number of pregnancies reaching 20 weeks gestation regardless of the number of fetuses or outcomes

Gravidity: The number of pregnancies, current and past, regardless of the pregnancy outcome

Preterm Birth: The number of births >= 20 weeks and < 37 weeks gestation, regardless of...

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Guidance

Vertex position is modeled implicitly, as the measure excludes deliveries with abnormal presentations.

Patients who do not receive prenatal care and have no documented gestational age or estimated due date are implicitly excluded from the measure, as gestational age is required to meet...

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Initial Population

Inpatient hospitalizations for patients age >= 8 years and < 65 admitted to the hospital for inpatient acute care who undergo a delivery procedure with a discharge date that ends during the measurement period

Denominator

Inpatient hospitalizations for nulliparous patients who delivered a live term singleton newborn >= 37 weeks' gestation See Guidance and Definition Sections for more details.

Denominator Exclusions

Inpatient hospitalizations for patients with any of the following conditions during the encounter:

- abnormal presentation

- genital herpes

- placenta previa

- vasa previa

- placenta accreta spectrum

Numerator

Inpatient hospitalizations for patients who deliver by cesarean section

Numerator Exclusions

None

Denominator Exceptions

None

Next Version No Version Available
Previous Version

Header

TRN

Measure Section

Source of Change

Updated 'eCQM Identifier (Measure Authoring Tool)' field to 'CMS ID' based on tooling update.

CMS ID

Standards/Technical Update

Updated the eCQM version number.

eCQM Version Number

Annual Update

Updated measurement period to reflect exact dates of reporting.

Measurement Period

Standards/Technical Update

Updated the narrative to reference patients to better align the measure narrative with the measure logic.

Description

Measure Lead

Updated copyright.

Copyright

Annual Update

Updated disclaimer.

Disclaimer

Annual Update

Updated the narrative to reference patients to better align the measure narrative with the measure logic.

Rationale

Measure Lead

Updated Improvement Notation field to read 'Decreased score indicates improvement' based on tooling update to promote alignment across measures.

Improvement Notation

Standards/Technical Update

Updated the Guidance section related to capturing the last estimated gestational age to better align with the logic.

Guidance

Measure Lead

Updated Numerator Exclusions field to read 'None' instead of 'Not Applicable' when no exclusions present to promote alignment across header fields.

Numerator Exclusions

Standards/Technical Update

Updated grammar, wording, and/or formatting to improve readability and consistency.

Multiple Sections

Annual Update

Updated references and measure header to reflect current evidence and new or updated literature.

Multiple Sections

Measure Lead

Logic

TRN

Measure Section

Source of Change

Updated the CQL library name from 'CMS334-v6-1-000-QDM-5-6.cql' to 'CMS334PCCesareanBirth-7.1.000.cql' based on recommendation by technical experts.

Definitions

Standards/Technical Update

Updated the names of CQL definitions, functions, and/or aliases for clarification and to align with the CQL Style Guide.

Definitions

Standards/Technical Update

Updated the version number of the Global Shared Library to v9.0.000 and the library name from 'MATGlobalCommonFunctionsQDM' to 'CQMCommonQDM'.

Definitions

Annual Update

Updated the version number of the PC Maternal Library to v5.0.000.

Definitions

Annual Update

Updated the version number of the Global Shared Library to v9.0.000 and the library name from 'MATGlobalCommonFunctionsQDM' to 'CQMCommonQDM'.

Functions

Annual Update

Updated the version number of the PC Maternal Library to v5.0.000.

Functions

Annual Update

Value Set

The VSAC is the source of truth for the value set content, please visit the VSAC for downloads of current value sets.

TRN

Measure Section

Source of Change

Replaced value set used for Sex Supplemental Data Element (SDE) ONC Administrative Sex (2.16.840.1.113762.1.4.1) with value set Federal Administrative Sex (2.16.840.1.113762.1.4.1021.121) based on updated standards.

Terminology

Standards/Technical Update

Value set Cesarean Birth (2.16.840.1.113883.3.117.1.7.1.282): Deleted 1 SNOMED CT code (288042004) based on terminology update.

Terminology

Annual Update

Value set Delivery Procedures (2.16.840.1.113762.1.4.1045.59): Added 1 SNOMED CT code (2321005) based on terminology update.

Terminology

Annual Update

Last Updated: May 07, 2025