UAB Hospital was rated as “high-performing” – the highest level possible – in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals for Maternity Care survey for 2022-2023.
A deeper dive into the survey data and methodology reveals that:
- Of the 649 hospitals that submitted maternity data to U.S. News this year, only 297 (fewer than half) earned a high-performing rating.
- To achieve a high-performing rating, a hospital had to score significantly better than average across eight quality measures and have acceptable rates of Cesarean sections, newborn complications, and episiotomies.
- To improve upon the methodology used for last year’s inaugural edition of Best Hospitals for Maternity Care, the 2022-2023 assessments include four new measures, including the rates of vaginal births after Cesarean (VBAC) and of episiotomies.
“This recognition is a full reflection of the amazing quality of care and expertise that our nurses, staff, advanced practice providers, and faculty provide every day,” says Warner Huh, MD, FACOG, FACS, chair of the UAB Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. “It’s truly gratifying to see this group be properly recognized for their selfless, compassionate work and strive to always put our patients and their families first. I look forward to the future and to establishing new programs and setting new standards for maternity care at UAB.”
This distinction comes on the heels of UAB’s OB/GYN program being ranked No. 5 in the nation – one of the highest rankings ever for a UAB Medicine specialty – in the 2022 U.S. News & World Report survey, which evaluated OB/GYN programs at 233 U.S. hospitals.
Originally formed in 1945, the UAB Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology has more than 75 years of expertise in improving the lives of the women it serves through excellence in clinical care, research, and education. In addition to providing routine gynecological services, UAB OB/GYN specialists offer the latest advances in female reproductive health care. On the research front, the department is among the top 10 programs for National Institutes of Health funding, which demonstrates UAB’s commitment to advancing the field of OB/GYN care through innovation and research.