UCI Health Maternity Services earns 'high-performing' rating for third consecutive year
U.S. News & World Report ranking affirms safe, high-quality care for expectant families
December 05, 2023
Orange, Calif. — UCI Health proudly maintains its status as one of the nation's premier hospitals for maternity care, achieving the "high-performing" rating from U.S. News & World Report in the 2023-24 rankings. It is the third consecutive year that UCI Health has earned the highest available rating.
“This recognition underscores the dedication at UCI Health to excellence in maternity care,” said UCI Health CEO and President Chad T. Lefteris “Our consistent recognition as a high-performing maternity care institution reflects the quality and comprehensiveness of our care.”
Dr. Robert E. Bristow, professor and chair of the UCI School of Medicine Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, also commended this achievement.
"This award for the third consecutive year is a significant affirmation of our commitment to delivering top-tier care to each patient.”
A leader in obstetric-gynecologic services
UCI Health has consistently been among the nation's top hospitals for maternity services.
It was recently recognized by Newsweek as one of America's Best Maternity Hospitals for the third consecutive year. This recognition underscores the dedication at UCI Health to providing exceptional care and an excellent childbirth experience for every expectant mother.
UCI Health is on the 2023 Maternity Honor Roll from the California Health and Human Services (CHHS) Agency, Hospital Quality Institute (HQI) and Cal Hospital Compare (CHC) for reducing births by cesarean section.
Rigorous evaluation criteria
To be recognized among the best maternity hospitals for uncomplicated pregnancies, hospitals had to excel in multiple quality metrics that matter to expectant families, including complication rates, cesarean births, whether births were scheduled too early in pregnancy and how successfully each hospital supported breastfeeding. In addition, they had to score significantly higher than the national average for eight quality measures.
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, an all-time high, participated in this year’s U.S. News 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, PhD, 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.”
About UCI Health
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 23 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.
About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader in quality rankings that empower consumers, business leaders and policy officials to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives and communities. A multifaceted digital media company with Education, Health, Money, Travel, Cars, News, Real Estate, Careers and 360 Reviews platforms, U.S. News provides rankings, independent reporting, data journalism, consumer advice and U.S. News Live events. More than 40 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
