Los Angeles,
05
December
2022
|
21:05 PM
America/Los_Angeles

Cedars-Sinai Rated “High Performing” Among Nation’s Best Hospitals for Maternity

Medical Center Earns Top Designation for Maternity Care From U.S. News & World Report

Cedars-Sinai has earned the highest possible designation in U.S. News & World Report’s newly released list of “Best Hospitals for Maternity Care 2022-2023.” The medical center was rated “High Performing” for its care of patients during uncomplicated pregnancy and childbirth.

“We are proud to be listed among the highly rated hospitals for maternal care. At Cedars-Sinai, we believe the best patient care and outcomes Sarah Kilpatrick, MD, PhDdepend not only on our expertise and teamwork, but also on developing a caring relationship with our patients and their families,” said Sarah Kilpatrick, MD, PhD, who holds the Helping Hand of Los Angeles Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

This approach requires careful listening to address every mother’s concern and incorporate what matters to her in the management of her care,” said Kilpatrick, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist.

The rating as a High Performing Hospital is a separate designation from the U.S. News ranking the medical center received earlier this year. In August, Cedars-Sinai was ranked the No. 1 hospital in California and the No. 2 hospital in the nation in the media company’s list of Best Hospitals 2022-23.

“Our Labor & Delivery experts are continuously looking for ways to support the parents who rely upon us to guide them through one of the most significant events of their lives−childbirth,” said Richard Riggs, MD, senior vice president of Medical Affairs and chief medical officer at Cedars-Sinai.

Guidelines and treatments aimed at providing the highest level of maternal care at the hospital are always being developed, tested and implemented,” said Riggs.

Richard Riggs, MDCedars-Sinai has instituted many leading-edge programs and best practices that contribute to positive health outcomes and a good patient experience for pregnant women.

For example, Cedars-Sinai investigators have been examining new ways to efficiently treat severe pregnancy-related hypertension, a leading cause of maternal deaths. In a recently published study, a new intervention resulted in nearly 95% of pregnant patients with severe hypertension being treated with antihypertensive medication within 30 minutes. Data from the study also showed that there were no racial disparities in timeliness of this hypertension treatment.

“In another example, we discovered an important opportunity to improve the treatment of women at risk for preeclampsia who met criteria for low-dose aspirin, now used to reduce the likelihood of developing the disease. And, because we noticed undertreatment was worse in Black women, we devised an intervention, a pop-up in the electronic medical record, that prompts healthcare providers to treat all mothers at risk for preeclampsia with a baby aspirin,” said Kilpatrick.

The medical record pop-up, flagging patients at risk for preeclampsia, eliminated the racial disparities, according to Kilpatrick. Black and white women received the same timely intervention with low-dose aspirin.

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: How Virtual Reality Can Help with Childbirth