This recognition by U.S. News is a tribute to our steadfast commitment to patient-centered care incorporating best practice, the patient voice and our community.
Ilana Cass, MD, Chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at DHMCDartmouth Health's Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) has been distinguished as a 2024 High Performing hospital for Maternity Care (Uncomplicated Pregnancy) by U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in hospital rankings and consumer advice. This is the highest award a hospital can earn for U.S. News' Best Hospitals for Maternity Care.
Best Hospitals for Maternity Care is an annual evaluation designed to assist expectant parents, in consultation with their prenatal care team, in making informed decisions about where to receive care that best meets their family's needs.
"This recognition by U.S. News is a tribute to our steadfast commitment to patient-centered care incorporating best practice, the patient voice and our community," said Ilana Cass, MD, Chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at DHMC. "It has been transformational to bring our entire team together to do this work and see the resulting collaboration, pride and improved outcomes for our patients. We have been intentional in asking important questions about how to incrementally advance care through team-based simulations, enhanced team-based patient rounding and sharing our data to track our progress. This recognition is in the setting of our quality improvement work which has successfully decreased our cesarean birth rate through patient-centered care and evidence-based practice."
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. Fewer than half – 46% – of all hospitals that offer maternity care and participated in the survey received a High Performing designation.
"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, 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. Parents-to-be can research their local hospitals' performance metrics for free at health.usnews.com to help them choose where to have their baby."
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, newborn complication rates, exclusive breast milk feeding rates, early elective delivery rates, birthing-friendly practices and transparency on racial/ethnic disparities, among other measures.
For more information, visit our Obstetrics web page.
About Dartmouth Health
Dartmouth Health, New Hampshire’s only academic health system and the state’s largest private employer, serves patients across northern New England. Dartmouth Health provides access to more than 2,000 providers in almost every area of medicine, delivering care at its flagship hospital, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, NH, as well as across its wide network of hospitals, clinics and care facilities. DHMC is consistently named the #1 hospital in New Hampshire by U.S. News & World Report, and is recognized for high performance in numerous clinical specialties and procedures. Dartmouth Health includes Dartmouth Cancer Center, one of only 57 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation, and the only such center in northern New England; Dartmouth Health Children’s, which includes the state’s only children’s hospital and multiple locations around the region; member hospitals in Lebanon, Keene, Claremont and New London, NH, and Windsor and Bennington, VT; Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire; and more than 24 clinics that provide ambulatory and specialty services across New Hampshire and Vermont. Through its historical partnership with Dartmouth and the Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth Health trains nearly 400 medical residents and fellows annually, and performs cutting-edge research and clinical trials recognized across the globe with Geisel and the White River Junction VA Medical Center in White River Junction, VT. Dartmouth Health and its more than 13,000 employees are deeply committed to serving the healthcare needs of everyone in our communities, and to providing each of our patients with exceptional, personal care.