US News & World Report names top hospitals for maternity care

Of 649 hospitals assessed, U.S. News & World Report ranked 297 hospitals offering maternity care as high performers for 2022-2023.

Among the high performers were UCSF Health-UCSF Medical Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in California, Massachusetts General Hospital and University Health, San Antonio.

“When expectant parents are considering their options for welcoming a baby into the world, the Best Hospitals for Maternity Care is designed to help them identify hospitals that excel in delivering babies for uncomplicated pregnancies,” Min Hee Seo, PhD, a senior health data scientist at U.S. News, said in a press release.

Hospitals were rated based on data for only uncomplicated pregnancies in terms of outcomes, processes and structure of hospital resources connected with patient care. New this year, U.S. News evaluated rates of vaginal birth after cesarean and episiotomy, fulfillment of new federal criteria for “birthing-friendly” practices and tracking and reporting of outcomes by patients’ race and ethnicity.

“Identifying racial disparities in maternity care is a vital step toward achieving health equity,” Seo said in the release. “The new measures provide expectant parents with many important data points, such as whether hospitals implemented patient safety practices, to assist them in making a decision about where to receive maternity care.”

References:

• Best hospitals for maternity care (uncomplicated pregnancy). https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/hospital-ratings/maternity?src=usn_pr. Published Dec. 6, 2022. Accessed Dec. 6, 2022.
• U.S. News & World Report reveals the 2022-2023 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care. https://www.usnews.com/info/blogs/press-room/articles/2022-12-06/2022-2023-best-maternity-hospitals. Published Dec. 6, 2022. Accessed Dec. 6, 2022.