Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Somerset, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, has received 5-star ratings for vaginal and C-section deliveries from Healthgrades in its 2022 ob/gyn quality ratings announced Aug. 2. This is the seventh year in a row that the hospital has received a 5-star rating for C-section deliveries and the second year in a row for the 5-star rating for vaginal deliveries. These 5-star ratings indicate that clinical outcomes for vaginal and C-section deliveries are significantly better than expected, and places RWJUH Somerset among the national leaders in these areas.
“We are proud to be recognized by Healthgrades for the quality care we provide to our new mothers and their babies,” said Tony Cava, president and chief executive officer, RWJUH Somerset. “Safe and healthy births are more than nine months in the making, from genetic counseling and prenatal care through labor and delivery and post-partum care. These recognitions are a testament to the efforts of the entire maternity care team.”
RWJUH Somerset provides a wide-range of services for expectant mothers, newborns and their families, including a Level II Intermediate Care Nursery staffed 24/7 by a board-certified neonatologist and specially trained nurses; a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist available 24/7; 24/7 anesthesiology coverage dedicated to obstetrics; counseling with Maternal-Fetal Medicine staff and a perinatologist; a comprehensive Diabetes Center offering pregnancy and post-partum counseling; a Family Practice Center for prenatal and post-partum care; a lactation consultant; and a virtual breastfeeding support group.
Healthgrades analyzed all-payer data for 16 states from 2018 through 2020. Healthgrades found that there is a significant variation in hospital quality between those that have received 5 stars and those that have not. For example, from 2018 through 2020, patients undergoing a gynecologic procedure in hospitals rated 5 stars have, on average, a 65.9% lower risk of experiencing a complication while in the hospital than if they were treated by hospitals rated 1 star.*
“It is critical for patients to select care based on three key pieces of information – hospital quality, facility and care team experience with your condition/procedure, and compatibility – and this 5-star distinction is another benchmark to help make those decisions easier,” said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer and head of Data Science, Healthgrades. “We are proud to name Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset as a 2022 5-Star recipient for both vaginal and C-section deliveries and look forward to their continued efforts to deliver better clinical outcomes for patients during natural childbirth, C-section deliveries, and gynecologic procedures.”
Consumers can visit healthgrades.com for more information on how Healthgrades measures hospital quality and access the complete methodology here.
For more information about maternity services at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, including a virtual tour, visit www.rwjbh.org/somerset. For a physician referral, call 1-888-724-7123.
*Statistics are based on Healthgrades analysis of All-Payer data for years 2018 through 2020 and represent 3-year estimates for patients in 16 states for which all payer data was made available. (See 2022 Healthgrades Obstetrics and Gynecology Rating Methodology for more details).