TexasAIM

The Department of State Health Services (DSHS) partners with the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) and various other partners including the Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mothers and Babies (TCHMB), the Texas Hospital Association (THA), and the Preeclampsia Foundation to implement the TexasAIM Program. TexasAIM supports Texas birthing hospitals with technical assistance and collaborative learning to make quality improvement changes that lead to improved outcomes for mothers in our state.

Our goal is to end preventable maternal death and severe maternal morbidity and reduce disparities in these outcomes. TexasAIM guides Patient Safety Bundle implementation with support from a team of improvement advisors and expert faculty. Multidisciplinary hospital improvement teams work in their local settings to implement bundle elements.

What Is AIM?

AIM is a quality improvement initiative to support best practices that make birth safer, improve maternal health outcomes, and save lives. AIM is implemented in almost all 50 states by hospitals and communities across the country. AIM helps hospitals and communities improve maternal safety by working with state teams and health systems to implement best practices.

Find more information on AIM at AIM | Alliance for Innovation On Maternal Health (saferbirth.org).

AIM Patient Safety Bundles

An AIM Patient Safety Bundle is a collection of best practices for improving maternal care. Experts in the field have vetted these practices to ensure their effectiveness. Each bundle focuses on a specific maternal health and safety topic. TexasAIM uses the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Breakthrough Series™ (BTS) Collaborative Model for Breakthrough Improvement as the foundation for the program. A BTS Collaborative is a vehicle for identifying, testing, and spreading changes that are effective for improving care and outcomes for defined populations.

Components of the model include the formation of local improvement teams; completion of prework; participation in interactive collaborative Learning Sessions; and engagement throughout Action Periods, which include continued shared learning through action period calls and implementation of rapid-cycle Plan-Do-Study-Act tests of change. The learning collaborative also includes regular data reporting and the use of data to drive improvement. This collaborative learning model supports accelerated improvement as hospital teams share successful implementation strategies across settings for the rapid adoption of new practices.

Since 2018, TexasAIM has supported Texas hospitals by implementing the Obstetric Hemorrhage Bundle and piloting the Obstetric Care for Women with Opioid Use Disorder Bundle. Beginning in December 2020, TexasAIM is focused on the Severe Hypertension in Pregnancy Bundle. TexasAIM is also implementing Wave 1 of the Obstetric Care for Women with Opioid and Other Substance Use Disorder Innovation and Improvement Learning Collaborative, which is based on the AIM Care for Pregnant and Postpartum People with Substance Use Disorder Bundle.

• Find more information on the Obstetric Care for Women with Opioid and Other Substance Use Disorder Page. 
• Find more information on the Obstetric Hemorrhage Bundle on the Obstetric Hemorrhage Bundle page. 
• Find more information on the Severe Hypertension Bundle on the Severe Hypertension Bundle page. 

Texas Hospitals Enrolled in Texas AIM

Find a map of the hospitals enrolled in TexasAIM:

• HTN Enrollment Map - As of June 2023
• OBH Enrollment Map - As of December 2020
• OSUD Enrollment Map - As of July 2023

Getting Started

Any Texas birthing hospital can join the engaged and growing TexasAIM community. We provide help and can connect you to the AIM Patient Safety Bundles, tools, and data center. 

If you are interested in enrolling in TexasAIM to implement AIM Patient Safety Bundles in your hospital or would like more information, please email TexasAIM@dshs.texas.gov.

Upcoming Events and Webinars

Please visit our Severe Hypertension in Pregnancy and Obstetric Care for Women with Opioid and Other Substance Use Disorder pages for a list of upcoming events and webinars. Past webinars can be accessed on the Obstetric Hemorrhage Bundle page.

TexasAIM Bulletin

 Sign up for the TexasAIM newsletter to receive updates on TexasAIM.  

Commissioner Hellerstedt’s Letter Announcing TexasAIM

Former DSHS Commissioner Dr. John Hellerstedt sent a letter to Texas birthing facilities in 2018 announcing the launch of TexasAIM.

View a copy of the letter.

Maternal Health & Safety Initiatives

Read about DSHS’ maternal health and safety initiatives including:

• The TexasAIM Initiative;
• The Maternal Health and Safety Awareness, Education, and Communication Campaign; and
• The High-Risk Maternal Care Coordination Services Program.

Download the 2020 and 2022 Maternal Health and Safety Initiatives Legislative Reports.