Best Hospitals for Maternity Care Adds New Equity Measure
- Sabrina McCrear
- Dec 10, 2024
- 2 min read
As part of its commitment to recognize hospitals that are achieving excellent health outcomes among disadvantaged communities, this year U.S. News’s Best Hospitals for Maternity Care will include newborn equity measures that compare patient populations served to the surrounding community demographic. Although this measure does not impact a hospital's rating, it will provide valuable information to expectant patients as they choose where to receive their maternity care.
The measure accounts for multiple ethnicities under the non-white demographic including Asian, Black, Native American, Hispanic and Pacific Islanders. It compares the percentage of non-white newborns born in the hospital with the percentage of non-white children under the age of 5 in the surrounding community, county and state. Of the 414 hospitals identified by U.S. News as Best Hospitals for Maternity Care, only 160 had a non-white newborn population that was comparable to or higher than the non-white population of young children in the surrounding communities.
One such hospital, Natividad Medical Center, was rated a Best Hospital for Maternity Care by meeting high standards on objective measures of maternity care, while at the same time taking care of a population that is representative of its local community. Natividad Medical Center reported 96% non-white deliveries when compared to the 94% of non-white children in the surrounding non-white community in Salinas, California.
“What’s unique about Natividad’s approach is that we meet our patients where they are, both physically and culturally,” says Dr. Peter Chandler, Natividad's chief OB-GYN surgeon. “Natividad OB-GYN providers work in clinics throughout our community, including rural areas, so mothers and their babies who live in harder-to-reach, underserved communities have the best care.”
Similarly, the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC) reported nearly 91% of non-white deliveries when compared to the 81% of non-white children in the surrounding nonwhite community in San Jose, California.
“Santa Clara Valley Medical Center’s mission is to provide high-quality and accessible health care to everyone, regardless of their socioeconomic status or ability to pay,” says Dr. James Byrne, chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology. “SCVMC emphasizes compassionate and patient-centered care, and we are tremendously proud of our staff and providers, who are leaders in California and nationally, setting the standard for equitable, best-in-class care for our families and newborns.”
The equity measure also incorporated regional data, which showed that, nationally, 53% of high-performing hospitals for maternity care in the West had patient populations that were comparable to their surrounding communities. Yet, in the Northeast and Midwest, less than 35% of hospitals reported the same.
Furthermore, the equity measure data showed that hospitals that offered level III or level IV maternity care were more likely to have a patient population that was representative of their community. A level III or level IV care center refers to facilities that are highly equipped to handle high-risk births or pregnancy complications, according to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
In April, as part of Black Maternal Health Week, U.S. News highlighted hospitals that received the designation Best Hospitals for Maternity Care in 2024 that also showed exemplary outcomes for black maternity patients.
“U.S. News demonstrates its commitment to diversity by adding equity measures to our many rankings,” says Marion Phillips III, senior vice president of Community Development and DEI at U.S. News.
