Buena Vista Regional Medical Center has been named as one of America’s Best Hospitals for Obstetrics for a third consecutive year. According to the Women’s Choice Award®, BVRMC is in the top 6% of 4,542 U.S. hospitals offering obstetrics.
Emily Bodholdt, Director of First Embrace Obstetrics, credits the superior care by doctors and nurses at BVRMC.
“Our seven delivering providers offer a family centered approach to the birthing experience, recognizing that each family has individual needs concerning childbirth,” Emily says. “The team at BVRMC First Embrace Obstetrics is proud to help bring more than 300 babies into the world each year.”
The methodology for America’s Best Hospitals for Obstetrics is unique in that it combines national accreditations, Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey results and hospital outcome scores with primary research about women’s healthcare preferences. It is the only award recognizing excellence in obstetric services based on robust criteria that consider patient satisfaction and clinical excellence.
The America’s Best Hospitals for Obstetrics gives consideration to the following specific criteria (all are not required):
- The percentage of patients reporting through the HCAHPS survey that they would definitely recommend the hospital.
- Patient safety ranking based on 11 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ measures of infection and complication rates.
- Low rates of early elective deliveries (between 0-1%).
- Baby-Friendly USA designation, a World Health Organization (WHO)/United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) initiative to support best practices for breast feeding education and counseling.
- Level III and Level IV neonatal intensive care designations to provide comprehensive care for the most complex and critically ill newborns.
One area BVRMC prides themselves on is their low C-section rate. The BVRMC primary C-section rate is 8.7%, which is much lower than other comparison groups.
“Our physicians work with mothers to provide support in labor so that indications for C-sections can be avoided,” explains BVRMC Chief Clinical Officer Michele Kelly. “Our OB team creates a special bond with each newborn and family. Our patient satisfaction surveys that compare us to other hospitals consistently rate us in the high 90s percentile rank.”
“Pregnancy is one of the most special times in a woman’s life,” said Delia Passi founder and CEO of the Women’s Choice Award. “New moms have many choices when it comes to having their baby, so choosing where to deliver the baby is right up there with choosing the best doctor. We’ve made it easy for moms to identify the hospitals that are proven to deliver an outstanding experience.”
BVRMC is one of 408 award recipients representing the hospitals that have met the highest standards for obstetrics across the U.S.