St. Mary Medical Center Apple Valley awarded for quality maternity care
St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley is one of eight Providence-based hospitals in Southern California that earned recognition from U.S. News & World Report for high performance in maternity care.
The high-performing designation among the medical facilities is measured by factors such as newborn complication rates.
U.S. News evaluated nearly 650 hospitals that provide high-quality labor and delivery services for uncomplicated pregnancies for its 2022-23 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care.
Fewer than half of all hospitals that offered maternity care and participated in the survey received a High Performing designation.
Maternity care methodology
The U.S. News Best Hospitals for Maternity Care methodology is based entirely on objective quality measures, such as C-section rates in lower-risk pregnancies, newborn complication rates, exclusive breast milk feeding rates, early elective delivery rates, and vaginal birth after cesarean rates, among other measures.
Providence officials said that the annual evaluation, among the publication's newest specialty performance ratings, is designed to assist expectant parents and their doctors in making informed decisions about where to receive maternity care.
"There's nothing more uplifting than watching a new mother leave the hospital cuddling a healthy newborn and heading home, happy, healthy, and looking to what the future holds," said Kevin Manemann, chief executive of Providence South Division. "Maternity care is a core specialty at most hospitals, and we are honored to be recognized among the best for the exemplary care we provide to the growing families in our community."
The hospitals
Providence St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton earned the highest award bestowed by U.S. News Best Hospitals for Maternity Care for the second year.
Besides St. Mary, the other 2022 winners include:
Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center
Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank
Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance
Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica
Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Orange
"When expectant parents are considering their options for welcoming a baby to the world, the Best Hospitals for Maternity Care are designed to help them identify hospitals that excel in delivering babies for uncomplicated pregnancies," said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News. "A hospital that has earned a High Performing designation may be a good option for parents to consider in consultation with their medical provider."
For more information, visit Best Hospitals for Maternity Care and use #BestMaternityHospitals on Facebook and Twitter.
Overview
An overview by U.S. News showed that St. Mary met the criteria to be recognized as Birthing-Friendly because it participated in a quality improvement collaborative and implemented patient safety practices to improve maternal outcomes.
Hospitals recognized as Birthing-Friendly has demonstrated their commitment to improving maternal outcomes by participating in quality improvement collaboratives. They have implemented one or more projects related to maternal morbidity to address complications.
Early delivery
Sometimes the medical staff schedules delivery earlier than recommended. To protect the baby's health, experts advise against scheduling induction or C-section before the 39th week of pregnancy unless there is an actual medical reason for early delivery.
C-sections
St. Mary was shown to be excellent at minimizing avoidable C-sections. Less than 23.9% of first-time, low-risk pregnancies at full term were delivered by Cesarean section.
While some C-sections are necessary operations, unnecessary C-sections should be avoided because they pose long-term health risks to the baby and parent.
Newborn Complications
Newborn complications are reported as rare at St. Mary. In full-term newborns with average birth weight and no preexisting conditions, complications such as infection or injury were rare.
Some hospitals have even fewer complications than others. At St. Mary, 2% to 2.6% of lower-risk births involved newborn complications. The average rate at hospitals was 3.2%.
Breast Milk Feeding
About 43.7% of babies were exclusively breastfed or fed breast milk during their hospital stay. The average in the West is 57.6%, and the national average is 50%. Feeding breast milk boosts an infant's immune system and brain development and may protect against allergies, asthma, obesity, and other conditions.
Birth types
A pregnant patient who previously has had a C-section may prefer to attempt VBAC rather than undergo another C-section. Some hospitals can accommodate this preference. St. Mary was shown not to offer vaginal birth after a Cesarean routinely.
Episiotomy
Episiotomy, a cut made in the vagina during childbirth, rarely should be performed. St. Mary’s episiotomy rate is between 5% and 10%. Experts do not recommend routine use except for specific clinical circumstances.
Racial/Ethnic Disparities
This hospital tracked and reported its race- and ethnicity-specific performance on several measures for which racial and ethnic disparities may exist.
Whether this hospital tracked and reported its race- and ethnicity-specific performance of measures for which racial and ethnic disparities may exist. Transparency is essential to patient choice of care and in raising industry standards.
About Providence
Providence is a national, not-for-profit Catholic health system comprising a diverse family of organizations. With 52 hospitals, over 1,000 physician clinics, senior services, supportive housing, and many other health and educational services, the health system and its partners employ more than 120,000 caregivers across seven states – Alaska, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, and Washington, with system offices in Renton, Washington, and Irvine, California.
Providence, Southern California, is the region's most extensive health system with 11 hospitals, more than 100 clinics, outpatient centers, TrinityCare Hospice, and its TrinityKids Care pediatric hospice.
Additionally, Providence High School offers home healthcare services, eight wellness centers, telehealth, and numerous physician groups in its Southern California Region.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: St. Mary Medical Center Apple Valley awarded for quality maternity care
