(a) The department shall establish a procedure by which a perinatal facility may request approval as a designated facility which has achieved a particular maternal or neonatal level of care.
(b)(1) The department shall establish through rule making the criteria for levels of maternal and neonatal care, ranging from basic care to such additional levels of care as may be deemed appropriate for the protection of mothers and infants at elevated risk.
(2) The department shall establish separate criteria for levels of maternal care and neonatal care. Such criteria may include, without limitation, data collection and reporting, arrangements for patient transportation, and protocols for coordination with and referral of patients to and from other health care facilities.
(3) In establishing or revising the criteria for maternal and neonatal levels of care, the department shall conduct public comment hearings; solicit the views of hospitals, birthing centers, health care providers, and related professional associations; and give due consideration to the current recommendations of medical and scientific organizations in the field of perinatal medicine.