Marsha: This is the very thing that has kept LLL Intn'l in business since
1956. Unfortunately, their particular type of non-profit status prevents
them from being politically active i.e. 501(c)3. But there must be some way
to survey the population of nursing moms to get this info a little more
proactively than to just wait for the calls to come in. I'm sure all the
more experienced researchers on L'net would know how to do that. It does
need to be related to the hospitals where the moms delivered. Maybe there
could be some "home birth controls"? Maybe some of the LCs who work in
physicians' offices or in private practice could add to this survey.

Phyllis

Marsha said in part:
 One thing we lack is data on the
> number of visits/phone calls made to lactation consultants for the
situation
> that Kathleen describes, as well as outcomes.
Each time a mother contacts one of us, we would fill out the
> form and each month send a summary to the hospital or health provider
office
> that generated the problem.
> When we have six months worth or so, we would then send the summary to our
> respective state public health department, targeted to the offices that
> oversee hospital licensure and Title V funding. Submitting a complaint
with
> the evidence and continued pressure might help provoke some changes. This
> data on "health care utilization" would also be quite valuable in
justifying
> the need for third party reimbursement for lactation care and services.

--- Phyllis Adamson, IBCLC
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