Approximately 176,700 women could have avoided developing one or more major obstetric complications in a hospital between 2006 and 2008, if their hospital had performed as well as the best hospitals for maternity care, according to findings from a study released by HealthGrades, an independent healthcare ratings organization.
"The HealthGrades study shows that hospitals can differ dramatically in terms of maternity outcomes, even as complication rates overall continue to decline over time," said Rick May, a VP with HealthGrades and co-author of the study.
HealthGrades found that women who had "patient-choice," or non-clinically indicated C-sections at the best-performing hospitals experienced 84 percent fewer complications than those who went to less stellar hospitals. Similarly, women who had C-sections at the better hospitals, saw 74 percent fewer complications than poor performers. Women who had vaginal births at the best-performing hospitals suffered 51 percent fewer maternal complications than those at poor-performing hospitals.
The study was based on an analysis of all-payer data for some 14 million hospital delivery and neonate records from 2006 to 2008. HealthGrades rated more than 1500 hospitals in 19 states which make their data available based on four factors: overall maternal complication rates for vaginal deliveries or C-sections, patient-choice C-sections, newborn volume, and neonatal mortality.
According to HealthGrades' rating system, the top-performing hospitals were the top 15 percent within the 19 all-payer states. The bottom 15 percent were the worst-performing hospitals.
To learn more:
- read the HealthGrades study
- check out the company's press release
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