SOAP Centers of Excellence
SOAP recognizes the presence of excellence in obstetric anesthesia care amongst many types of facilities with different delivery volumes.
We welcome applications from a wide range of institutions, low to high-volume centers, community centers, academic centers, and tertiary-referral centers, from the United States and worldwide.
2025 Application Cycle
General Information:
- Intent to Apply Form: Open Now
- Applications Open: July 2025
- 2024 application information is listed below for your reference.
- Coming Soon: The 2025 application will be linked below. PDF and Word versions will also be provided.
- Application Deadline: October 15, 2025 (11:59 PM Eastern)
Recertification Information:
- 2021 designees will reapply during the 2025 cycle for renewal in 2026.
Congrats to the 2024 Center of Excellence Designees!
Why Become a SOAP Center of Excellence?
The SOAP Center of Excellence (COE) designation was created in 2018 to recognize institutions and programs that demonstrate excellence in obstetric anesthesia care and to set a benchmark of expected care to improve standards nationally and internationally.
It is an annual program, with new designees announced each spring. Designees are recognized by SOAP and peer organizations for their high standards of care and receive a plaque to display in a patient-facing area. Learn more about the COE program, processes, benefits, and fees here.
Criteria
The COE criteria were generated by expert consensus and incorporate evidence-based recommendations. They cover all aspects of obstetric anesthesia care: personnel and staffing; equipment, protocols, and policies; simulation and team training; obstetric emergency management; cesarean delivery and labor analgesia care; recommendations and guidelines implementation; and quality assurance and patient follow-up systems. Criteria are reviewed annually by the COE Subcommittee and updated as appropriate.
Application Process
Application is a two-step process:
1) Intent to Apply Form, which includes payment of the $500 intent to apply fee. If you are a repeat applicant with a fee waiver, no payment is required but you must still submit the intent to apply form. Applications will be accepted only from those who complete the Intent to Apply Form.
2) Application (Opens: July 2025; Closes: October, 15, 2025 - 11:59 PM Eastern)
- The application requires detailed responses with the inclusion of the obstetric anesthesia lead’s CV and relevant policies and procedures as appropriate.
- Applicants must provide evidence that they offer all essential criteria and the majority of the important criteria, as described in the application. No on-site visit is required.
- To better understand the details required, review the 2024 sample COE application form (note there will be changes to the 2025 application)
- Application Instructions
- SOAP Headquarters encourages you to complete the application at one time to ensure you do not run into technical issues.
- Completing the Application in More than One Sitting:
- You can start the application and return using the same link you received ONLY if you are using the same computer, remain at the same IP address, are using the same Wifi connection, and your computer does not delete your cache.
- This means if you choose to complete the application in more than one sitting, you CANNOT start the application and resume it at another location.
- E.G. You are unable to start your application at home and then continue it at work.
- Please be aware that some institutions may have security measures that will not allow you to return to your original application due to clearing computer cache, clearing browser data, etc.
- To save your answers before you leave the application, make sure you select "next" at the bottom of the page.
- You MUST use the same computer and WIFI when returning to finish and/or make edits to your application.
- If you choose to complete the application in more than one sitting and are unable to get into your original online application in Survey Monkey, you will need to create a new submission.
- Please inform SOAP headquarters [email protected] if this happens so that we can delete the original incomplete application.
- If your institution was previously been designated a Center of Excellence, recertification is required every four years. SOAP will provide a copy of the original application for reference, upon request. Previous designees do need to complete the "Intent to Apply" form but do not pay the $500 fee. They must also complete the Application Form.
Timeline
- Intent to Apply for the 2025 cycle is now available
- Applications opens on July 2025 and closes October 15, 2025, 11:59 PM Eastern
- Applicants are notified of their status in March/April 2026
- Designee certification/recertification fees are due by April 2026
- esignees are honored at the SOAP Annual Meeting April 29 - May 3, 2026 in Montreal
- Recertification is every four years. Institutions needing to recertify will be contacted during their cohort renewal cycle (listed on the COE Designees for each year) to complete an application.
- 2021 designees will reapply during the 2025 cycle for renewal in 2026.
Renewal of COE Designation
- Recertification is every four years.
- Institutions needing to recertify will be contacted during their cohort renewal cycle (listed on the COE Designees for each year) to complete an application.
- Intent to Apply form is required but there is no Intent to Apply form fee for recertification.
- If recertified, the institute will recertification fee of $1,000 USD.
Vetting Process
Each application is reviewed and graded by the COE Subcommittee. The subcommittee will consider criteria within the context of the care setting (as defined by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s obstetric care consensus on levels of maternal care; Obstet Gynecol. 2015;125:502–15).
Tertiary/Referral Center (transfers “in” for specialty maternal care) will receive a COE designation indicating they are a tertiary referral center.
Applications may be accepted, provisionally accepted/reconsidered, or rejected by a majority vote of the subcommittee. If an application is provisionally accepted/reconsidered, the applicant will be allowed one month to provide clarifications and revisions. Some rejected applications may be offered application fee waivers if the institution reapplies the following year. This application fee waiver is given to institutions that the COE Subcommittee feels are close to being COE designations and provided a strong application. Awards are on a conditional approval basis; inaccurate reporting is grounds for revocation of the COE designation.
Recognition and Benefits
- Designees will be highlighted in a SOAP news release and receive a plaque and certificate recognizing the achievement of Center of Excellence status.
- Additional recognition will be provided during the SOAP Annual Meeting and on the SOAP website.
- Recipients will be entitled to use the COE logo and the tagline "Center of Excellence" in media, communication and correspondence during the period the certification is valid.
- In addition, select individuals from COE designated centers may be invited to serve on the subcommittee.
Research related to COE Data:
• Data gathered through the SOAP COE application process is an important source of information that may inform future SOAP initiatives and offerings related to clinical care, education, and research.
• Based on information related to obstetric anesthesia practices, resources, and staffing models, we can envision new SOAP Consensus Statements and additional research that may serve SOAP’s mission “To advance and advocate for the health of pregnant women and their babies through research, education, and best practices in obstetric anesthesia care and equitable care for women and newborns everywhere”.
• We encourage all SOAP members and SOAP COE designees to submit comments and ideas for research related to COE data.
• At the time of designation, recipients will be asked to indicate whether they are interested in contributing to research-related projects.
Fees
- The application fee, which covers costs related to reviewing and certifying applications, is $500 USD and is paid by submission of the Intent to Apply Form.
- If your institution is selected to be a COE, the certification fee of $3,000 USD applies (initial certification).
- After four years, a recertification fee of $1,000 USD will apply.
- Institutions who are recertifying complete the Intent to Apply Form at no cost.
- Fees are not refundable.
Helpful Resources
- Overview: Centers of Excellence for Anesthesia Care of Obstetric Patients, an editorial published in Anesthesia & Analgesia, authored by Brendan Carvalho, M.B., B.Ch., FRCA and Jill M. Mhyre, M.D.
- Consultation: By request, consultation will be offered to help institutions navigate and attain COE designation. Support may be provided by phone or in-person as available.
- Sample applications: A blank sample application form is available here. This application is to be used as a reference only and criteria may change.
- Three tertiary-referral centers (Stanford University, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and The Johns Hopkins Hospital) and two community hospitals (Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women and Newborns and Virginia Mason Medical Center) provided their Center of Excellence applications and handouts to help provide examples and expectations of what is expected to obtain designation as a COE. View the sample applications here. Please recognize that some criteria may have changed but these are examples of how to describe and document your current processes and procedures.
- Informational Webinar: Watch the recording of the informational webinar hosted by the SOAP COE Subcommittee on September 9, 2024.
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