• Starting in CY2020: to reduce state burden and streamline reporting, CMS is giving states the option to have CMS calculate a Medicaid state-level rate for this measure using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) tool, which uses state birth certificate data compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics.
• The annual reported rate captures activity during the previous calendar year.
• This is a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) measure.
• There is no benchmark available for this administrative measure.

Percentage of live births that weighed less than 2,500 grams in the state during the reporting period.

An infant's birthweight is a common measure of infant and maternal health and well-being.  Infants weighing less than 2,500 grams at birth may experience serious and costly health problems and developmental delays.  Pregnant women are at higher risk of a low-birth weitht baby if they have chronic health conditions (e.g. high blood pressure or diabetes), low weight gain during pregnancy, high stress levels, or high-risk behaviors (e.g drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, or using drugs).

Last updated:  August 2021