Key Takeaways from the 2025 Maternity Care Rankings
- U.S. News & World Report recognized 414 hospitals as exemplary performers in the field of maternity care access.
- This year saw the highest number of hospitals providing maternity care data submissions to date.
The U.S. News & World Report recently unveiled its 2025 rankings for the best hospitals in terms of maternity care access, highlighting those with exceptional maternity care performance. This year’s report revealed new methodologies, including additional criteria for hospitals to demonstrate their commitment to breastfeeding, the use of severe unexpected newborn complications data instead of overall unexpected complications, and a greater focus on racial and ethnic disparities alongside birthing practices.
“The latest evaluation marks a historic number of hospitals assessed, making the U.S. News‘ 2025 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care ratings an invaluable guide for expecting families,” stated Jennifer Winston, PhD, a health data scientist at U.S. News & World Report.
The comprehensive maternity care score was developed based on various factors, including cesarean delivery rates, severe unexpected newborn complication rates, rates of routine vaginal births following cesarean deliveries, dedication to exclusive breastfeeding practices, and the presence of racial and ethnic disparities in maternal care.
This year, 817 hospitals shared their maternity care data, leading to the recognition of 414 facilities for their outstanding maternity care services. Additionally, 118 hospitals were highlighted for providing critical maternity care in previously underserved areas.
The full rankings, which detail hospitals noted for excellence in maternity care access or high-performance maternity care, are available on USNews.com.
“These high-performing hospitals exhibit remarkable care for expectant mothers, showcasing significantly lower rates of cesarean sections and severe unforeseen newborn complications compared to facilities not recognized by U.S. News,” Winston emphasized.
