UCI Health earns Maternity Honor Roll Award

For the third consecutive year, UCI Health has received the 2021 Maternity Honor Roll Award from the California Health and Human Services (CHHS) Agency, Hospital Quality Institute (HQI) and Cal Hospital Compare (CHC) for reducing births via cesarean section (C-section) in first-time mothers with low-risk pregnancies.

In California, approximately 500,00 babies are born each year and childbirth is the number one reason for hospitalization in the U.S. and California. C-sections can result in higher rates of complications for pregnant women such as hemorrhages, transfusions, infections and blood clots. C-sections also have increased risks for babies, including higher rates of infection, respiratory complications, neonatal intensive care unit stays and lower breastfeeding rates.

Since 2015, the CHHS has recognized hospitals that meet or surpass the 23.9% statewide target of cesarean sections for low-risk births.

As Orange County’s only academic health system, UCI Health has a long-standing commitment to improving care for mothers and newborns. UCI Health maternal-fetal medicine experts have conducted groundbreaking research into heart disease risk among pregnant women and are among the leaders in the California Maternal Quality Care Consortium’s ongoing efforts to improve the safety of maternity care, including preventative care for obstetrical hemorrhaging, cardiovascular risk and venous thromboembolism. 

Earlier this year, UCI Health was recognized by Newsweek as one of America’s Best Maternity Care Hospitals for 2021. Hospitals named as a Best Maternity Care Hospital have fully met The Leapfrog Group’s standards for maternity care on evidence-based, nationally standardized safety measures. This includes lower rates of early elective delivery, NTSV C-section and episiotomy, as well as compliance with process measures including newborn bilirubin screening prior to discharge and blood clot prevention techniques for mothers delivering via C-section. UCI Medical Center is the only Orange County hospital listed among Newsweek’s best to meet the highest standards in each maternity safety measure.

As the region’s only combined high-risk perinatal services center and designated regional neonatal intensive care unit, UCI Medical Center provides 24-hour critical, life-saving services for mothers and newborns. Pre-term and low birth weight infants are more likely to survive when delivered at centers equipped to manage care for high-risk pregnancies and provide regional neonatal services. 

Early intervention by UCI Health maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) experts can reduce risks of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes and other common conditions faced by women with complicated pregnancies. These MFM experts and hospital labor specialists provide the best care available care for UCI Health patients as well as expectant mothers in other Orange County community hospitals. 

The department’s excellence is further reflected in its No. 24 national ranking in the 2021-2022 U.S. News & World Report among gynecology and obstetrics programs.

CHHS oversees departments and offices that provide a wide range of services in the areas of health care, mental health, public health, alcohol and drug treatment, income assistance, social services and assistance to people with disabilities.

CHC features quality and performance information on California hospitals to help healthcare consumers make smarter and more informed choices when making medical decisions.

HQI provides coordination and support for improvement and harmonizes measures for patient safety and quality improvement activities for the California Hospital Association, Hospital Council — Northern & Central California, the Hospital Association of Southern California, and the Hospital Association of San Diego & Imperial Counties. The organization builds reliable and sustainable measures to gauge California’s performance and identifies opportunities for focus and innovation.

 

UCI Health is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine, and the only academic health system in Orange County. Patients can access UCI Health at primary and specialty care offices across Orange County and at its main campus, UCI Medical Center in Orange, Calif. The 459-bed, acute care hospital, listed among America’s Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report for 21 consecutive years, provides tertiary and quaternary care, ambulatory and specialty medical clinics, behavioral health and rehabilitation services. UCI Medical Center is home to Orange County’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center and regional burn center. UCI Health serves a region of nearly 4 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter