PINEHURST — FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital has been recognized as High Performing in Maternity Care (Uncomplicated Pregnancy) by U.S. News & World Report. This is the first time U.S. News has published a list of Best Hospitals for Maternity.
To be recognized among the Best Hospitals for Maternity, hospitals had to excel on multiple quality metrics that matter to expectant families, including complication rates, C-sections, whether births were scheduled too early in pregnancy, and how successfully each hospital supported breastfeeding. Only one-third of the hospitals evaluated by U.S. News for maternity care earned a ‘High Performing’ rating.
“High Performing” is the highest rating U.S. News awards for that type of care.
“We are so incredibly proud of our Women and Children’s Services team at Moore Regional,” said Mickey W. Foster, MHA, chief executive officer for FirstHealth of the Carolinas. “To earn national recognition as a high performing hospital for maternity care highlights our longstanding commitment to provide the highest quality obstetrical care to our patients and families.”
The recognition comes amid a baby boom at Moore Regional. According to Administrative Director of Women and Children’s Services Beth Tabor, R.N., the hospital has seen an increase in in the number of births over the last few years.
“In 2020, the hospital had nearly 2,280 deliveries, more babies in a year than ever before,” she said. “The hospital is on track for close to 2,300 deliveries in 2021.”
To continue to meet the growing need for obstetrical care, a $5 million renovation is underway to increase the number of maternity triage and labor and delivery rooms.
“Our team is thrilled to be recognized by U.S. News & World Report as high performing in maternity care,” added Tabor. “Having a baby is a very special moment in any family’s life, and our staff and providers are committed to providing superior care to our patients.”
“All families deserve to be informed on how hospitals perform on key indicators of quality, which is why U.S. News has compiled and published a trove of maternal health data from hospitals across the country,” said Ben Harder, managing editor and chief of health analysis at U.S. News & World Report. “The hospitals we’ve recognized as High Performing meet a high standard in caring for patients with uncomplicated pregnancies.”
Unique to the U.S. News site, participating hospital profiles are a one stop shop and include a variety of relevant offerings for parents-to-be including key measures of safety, alongside services and amenities, like private rooms, valet parking and availability of child birthing classes.
The evaluation looks at hospital data relating to only uncomplicated pregnancies, not high-risk pregnancies. Participating hospitals responded to a survey from the U.S. News health analysis team in spring of 2021 which reflects data from 2019. Participation was voluntary. We anticipate updating Best Hospitals for Maternity in summer of 2022, to coincide with the release of the 2022-23 Best Hospitals for Procedures & Conditions ratings.
