U.S. News names UCI Medical Center a Best Hospital for Maternity Care
Recognition affirms UCI Health as a leader in providing high-quality, safe care for mothers, babies
December 20, 2024
Orange, Calif. — For the fourth consecutive year, UCI Medical Center, part of UCI Health, has been listed by U.S. News & World Report as one of its 2025 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care, reaffirming its status as one of the nation's premier hospitals for maternity care. Orange County’s only academic medical center has earned the highest available rating and it is also regularly listed as high-performing in the U.S. News annual survey of top adult specialties.
UCI Medical Center has consistently been among the nation's top hospitals for expectant mothers. It is home to Orange County’s only combined high-risk perinatal and neonatal program and the only maternal-fetal transport service to receive the most complex cases safely. Its support for breastfeeding mothers also earned the Baby-Friendly USA designation.
High-performing areas
The high-performing areas in the medical center’s 2025 ranking include:
- Minimizing avoidable C-sections
- Encouraging breastfeeding
- High rate of vaginal births after cesarean section (VBAC)
- Low episiotomy rate of less than 5%
The medical center also is designated a Birthing-Friendly hospital by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for collaborating on a quality enhancement program and implementing evidence-based practices that improve outcomes for mothers.
Managing risk in mothers-to-be
UCI Health obstetricians are committed to advancing the health and equity of mothers-to-be and their infants through care, research, advocacy and public policy.
UCI Health obstetrician and cardiologist Dr. Afshan Hameed spearheaded the development of an assessment tool to better predict the risk of cardiovascular disease during pregnancy. That risk-assessment tool is used today to screen all expectant mothers at the medical center and its effectiveness is now being studied at other major U.S. maternity centers.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounts for more than one-third of all U.S. pregnancy-related deaths. This is because CVD symptoms in pregnant patients are often misdiagnosed or dismissed, leading to delays in recognizing and treating conditions that may lead to serious short- and long-term morbidity and mortality before, during and after delivery.
Hameed also co-chairs the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative Cardiovascular Disease in Pregnancy and Postpartum Task Force and is a member of the collaborative’s Pregnancy Associated Mortality Review Committee, which examines all maternal mortality cases to identify care gaps and quality improvement opportunities.
Rigorous evaluation criteria
To be recognized as one of the 2025 U.S. News Best Maternity Care Hospitals, a facility must have been recognized as “High Performing” in Maternity Care for uncomplicated pregnancies. About half of the 817 hospitals evaluated meet that standard.
Hospitals are evaluated on rates of C-section, unexpected severe newborn complications, routine VBAC, exclusive breast milk feeding and episiotomy. They were also assessed on whether each hospital met federal criteria for “birthing-friendly” practices and for transparency around racial and ethnic disparities.
About UCI Health
UCI Health, one of California’s largest academic health systems, is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. The 1,317-bed system comprises its main campus UCI Medical Center, an acute care hospital in Orange, Calif., the UCI Health — Irvine medical campus, four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and ambulatory care centers across the region. Recognized as a Top Hospital by The Leapfrog Group, UCI Medical Center provides tertiary and quaternary care and 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, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department 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.
