U.S. News evaluated hospitals from across the nation that provide labor and delivery services and submitted detailed data to the publication for analysis.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill and UNC Health Rex in Raleigh have both been rated “High Performing” for maternity care by U.S. News and World Report in its “Best Hospitals for Maternity Care” program.
The Best Hospitals for Maternity Care ratings are determined by a U.S. News analysis of submitted and other objective data. U.S. News evaluated hospitals from across the nation that provide labor and delivery services and submitted detailed data to the publication for analysis; 680 hospitals participated in this year’s survey.
“Hospitals that receive a High Performing designation as part of Best Hospitals for Maternity Care meet a high standard in caring for parents with uncomplicated pregnancies,” said Jennifer Winston, Ph.D., health data scientist at U.S. News. “These hospitals have C-section rates that are 26% lower, and newborn complication rates that are 37% lower than unrecognized hospitals that participated in the survey. Parents-to-be can research their local hospitals’ performance metrics at health.usnews.com to help them choose where to have their baby.”
The primary goal of Best Hospitals for Maternity Care is to help healthcare consumers, in consultation with their healthcare professional, identify hospitals that provide high-quality maternity care for uncomplicated pregnancies and to provide them with information highly sought after by expecting parents.
The “Best Hospitals for Maternity” program requires data collection directly from hospitals because data available from other sources are insufficient on their own to evaluate the quality of maternal and neonatal care.
Factors Evaluated
The U.S. News Best Hospitals for Maternity Care methodology is based entirely on objective measures of quality, such as: C-section rates in lower-risk pregnancies, newborn complication rates, exclusive breast milk feeding rates, early elective delivery rates, birthing-friendly practices and transparency on racial/ethnic disparities, among other measures.
Media contact: Phil Bridges, Executive Director, Integrated Communications, UNC Health
About UNC Health
UNC Health is a state entity and an affiliated enterprise of the University of North Carolina system, comprised of 15 hospitals, 19 hospital campuses and more than 900 clinics along with the clinical patient care programs of the UNC School of Medicine (SOM).
It exists to improve the health and well-being of North Carolinians and others we serve and to further the teaching mission of the University of North Carolina SOM. UNC Health provided more than $141 million in Charity Care in fiscal year 2022, and more than $522 million over the last five years. Our hospitals have received numerous awards and recognition for quality care, patient safety and the overall patient experience. For more information, please visit unchealth.org.