USNews_Maternity
The MetroHealth System has been named a 2025 High Performing Hospital for Maternity Care by U.S. News & World Report, the highest designation possible in the publication’s annual Best Hospitals for Maternity Care ranking.
“Everyone on our maternal health team is committed to ensuring our patients get outstanding, individualized care,” said Donald “Chip” Wiper III, MD, Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. “They do that for the daily reward of seeing their patients safely deliver healthy babies. Those extraordinary efforts are the reason MetroHealth has been acknowledged among the prestigious U.S. News Best Hospitals for Maternity Care.”
U.S. News awards the High Performing designation in recognition of maternity care as measured by factors such as severe unexpected newborn complication rates, birthing-friendly practices and transparency on racial/ethnic disparities. The annual study evaluated 817 hospitals from across the United States and recognized only half as Best Hospitals for Maternity Care.
The publication noted that MetroHealth’s maternity program is “excellent at minimizing avoidable cesarean sections.” In fact, MetroHealth’s c-section rate is one of the lowest in the region and is consistently below statewide and national rates.
In 2023, 32.4% of deliveries in the United States – and 31.5% in Ohio – were by C-section, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. MetroHealth’s rate was 27% during the same period – 4.5 percentage points below the statewide rate and 5.4 percentage points below the national rate.
The U.S. News honor is the latest accolade for the MetroHealth’s maternal health program, which opened its new state-of-the-art Birthing Center and NICU in 2023.
The health system, known for its expertise with both low and high-risk pregnancies, is regularly named among Newsweek’s list of America’s Best Maternity Hospitals. Earlier this year, the Division of Obstetric Anesthesiology was recognized as a Center of Excellence by the Obstetric Anesthesiology and Perinatology (SOAP), a distinction given to a select number of programs throughout the world for their commitment to the highest standards of practice in obstetric anesthesia.
“This recognition is especially meaningful for us as a public hospital; we care for some of our community’s most vulnerable and high-risk patients,” said MetroHealth Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine Kelly Gibson, MD. “We are proud of the work we do to ensure that our patients receive the kind of care that gains national attention.”
MetroHealth’s reputation for outstanding maternity care also is attributable to the strength and commitment of its Labor and Delivery Nursing staff.
“We have an extraordinary team of talented nurses who put their patients first in everything they do,” said Kimberly Green, RN, Vice President, Women & Children Services. “Not only are they highly skilled and practicing at the top of their field, but they are known for bringing compassion and personal attention to every patient in their care.”
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, severe unexpected newborn complication rates, exclusive breast milk feeding rates, birthing-friendly practices and reporting on racial/ethnic disparities, among other measures.
“It’s gratifying to be honored and recognized for our successes and achievements,” said Clodagh Mullen, MD, Director of Labor and Delivery. “But most importantly, the U.S. News designation further reassures our patients that they are getting outstanding care to ensure they have the safest delivery possible.”
For more information, visit Best Hospitals for Maternity Care.