Certified Nurse Midwives and Birthing Centers

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Beneficiaries must use TRICARE-authorized providers for TRICARE to cover health care services. To be certified as TRICARE authorized, providers must meet specific licensing and certification requirements. Health Net Federal Services offers the following reminders about TRICARE requirements for birthing center and midwife provider types.

TRICARE requires birthing centers to meet TRICARE licensing requirements and be accredited by one of these three accrediting bodies:

• The Joint Commission 
• The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC)
• The Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers (CABC)

TRICARE allows for the following provider types to offer midwifery services:

• Certified nurse midwives (CNM) who have local licensing (when required) and certification from the American Midwifery Certification Board 
• Registered nurses (RN) who are not CNMs if referred by a licensed physician and under physician supervision

It’s important to note that non-CNMs and non-RN midwives cannot be TRICARE-authorized providers. This includes certified professional midwives (CPM).

Find complete details in the TRICARE Policy Manual (TPM) at https://manuals.health.mil:

• Midwives – TPM, Chapter 11, Section 3.12. 
• Birthing centers – TPM, Chapter 11, Section 2.3.