AI-generated summary, not yet reviewed by Better Utah staff. Please consult the bill text.

New rules for Utah hospitals and birth centers that provide birthing services would create a set of requirements around premature births, defined as those occurring before 36 weeks of pregnancy and further categorized by how early they occur. Facilities would need to develop and publicly post policies describing what lifesaving care they can provide for premature infants at each stage of prematurity, inform at-risk patients about the facility's capabilities and transfer options, and could not deny an infant lifesaving care based solely on gestational age; parents facing preterm birth would gain specific rights, including consulting with a maternal fetal medicine provider and neonatologist and participating in shared decision-making, and providers would be required to consult a neonatologist when medically appropriate or when requested by a parent. Facilities would also report annual outcome data to the state, and the Department of Health and Human Services would publish a yearly statewide report on premature birth outcomes. Separately, the bill would require prenatal care providers — including doctors, nurse midwives, physician assistants, naturopathic physicians, and direct-entry midwives — to discuss preterm labor risks, local neonatal intensive care options, care plans for different stages of pregnancy complications, and patients' rights with pregnant patients by around 20 weeks of pregnancy, and to recommend a neonatology consultation if an early birth is anticipated.