Best Maternity Care Hospitals 2020

If you're thinking about starting or expanding your family, you know that what matters most is the health of mother and baby. Choosing the right maternity hospital can be key to achieving that all-important outcome.

To help our readers make informed decisions about maternity care, Newsweek partnered with The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit organization that reports on the safety and quality performance of U.S. health care facilities. Our list of the Best Maternity Hospitals 2020 presents 231 entries in 36 states, categorized by region.

A panel of national experts advised Leapfrog on standards for excellence in maternity care, including achieving low rates of C-section, episiotomy and early elective deliveries, and following crucial protocols to protect mothers and babies. Though these are standards aligned with medical research and best practices, not all hospitals achieve them. The facilities cited by Newsweek as Best Maternity Hospitals 2020 are an elite group demonstrating excellence in maternity care.

If your hospital is listed below, you can get in touch to find out more about the licensing options.

HospitalCityStateRegionSpring 2020 GradeAnnual Deliveries
Princeton Baptist Medical CenterBirminghamAlabamaSoutheastA386
Vaughan Regional Medical CenterSelmaAlabamaSoutheastA440
Shea Medical CenterScottsdaleArizonaSouthwestA4,871
Yuma Regional Medical CenterYumaArizonaSouthwestB3,401
Adventist Health Lodi MemorialLodiCaliforniaWestB1,058
Arrowhead Regional Medical CenterColtonCaliforniaWestB2,778
Contra Costa Regional Medical CenterMartinezCaliforniaWestB1,889
Dominican HospitalSanta CruzCaliforniaWestA803
Enloe Medical CenterChicoCaliforniaWestA1,713
French Hospital Medical CenterSan Luis ObispoCaliforniaWestA646
Kaiser Permanente Antioch Medical CenterAntiochCaliforniaWestB1,730
Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical CenterFresnoCaliforniaWestA1,443
Kaiser Permanente Modesto Medical CenterModestoCaliforniaWestB3,298
Kaiser Permanente Redwood City Medical CenterRedwood CityCaliforniaWestA2,012
Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical CenterRosevilleCaliforniaWestA6,392
Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical CenterSan DiegoCaliforniaWestA4,890
Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical CenterSan JoseCaliforniaWestB2,558
Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical CenterSanta ClaraCaliforniaWestA4,633
Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa Medical CenterSanta RosaCaliforniaWestB1,945
Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical CenterSacramentoCaliforniaWestA2,810
Kaiser Permanente Vacaville Medical CenterVacavilleCaliforniaWestA1,320
Kaiser Permanente Vallejo Medical CenterVallejoCaliforniaWestA1,601
Kaiser Permanente Walnut Creek Medical CenterWalnut CreekCaliforniaWestB3,209
Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical CenterLos AngelesCaliforniaWestB1,907
Kaiser Permanente Anaheim Medical CenterAnaheimCaliforniaWestA3,785
Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical CenterFontanaCaliforniaWestA4,097
Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical CenterDowneyCaliforniaWestA4,207
Kaiser Permanente Panorama City Medical CenterPanorama CityCaliforniaWestA2,611
Kaiser Permanente Riverside Medical CenterRiversideCaliforniaWestA3,169
Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills Medical CenterWoodland HillsCaliforniaWestB1,767
Loma Linda University Medical Center - MurrietaMurrietaCaliforniaWestB1,178
Los Angeles County - Olive View UCLA Medical CenterSylmarCaliforniaWestA671
Marian Regional Medical CenterSanta MariaCaliforniaWestA2,813
Martin Luther King, Jr. Community HospitalLos AngelesCaliforniaWestA770
Mercy Hospital of FolsomFolsomCaliforniaWestB788
Natividad Medical CenterSalinasCaliforniaWestA2,215
NorthBay Medical CenterFairfieldCaliforniaWestB1,187
Northridge Hospital Medical Center-Roscoe Boulevard CampusNorthridgeCaliforniaWestB665
Petaluma Valley HospitalPetalumaCaliforniaWestB395
Pomerado HospitalPowayCaliforniaWestA859
Scripps Memorial Hospital of EncinitasEncinitasCaliforniaWestB1,849
Sharp Grossmont HospitalLa MesaCaliforniaWestB3,236
St. Elizabeth Community HospitalRed BluffCaliforniaWestB499
Stanford Health Care - ValleyCarePleasantonCaliforniaWestA1,312
Tri-City Medical Center of OceansideOceansideCaliforniaWestB2,140
UC San Diego Health Hillcrest - Hillcrest Medical CenterSan DiegoCaliforniaWestA329
UC San Diego Health La Jolla - Jacobs Medical Center and Sulpizio Cardiovascular CenterLa JollaCaliforniaWestA2,845
University of California Davis Medical CenterSacramentoCaliforniaWestB1,479
University of California Irvine HealthOrangeCaliforniaWestA1,579
Centura Health Castle Rock Adventist HospitalCastle RockColoradoSouthwestA930
Centura Health-Avista Adventist HospitalLouisvilleColoradoSouthwestA2,379
Centura Health-Littleton Adventist HospitalLittletonColoradoSouthwestB1,404
Denver Health Medical CenterDenverColoradoSouthwestB3,315
Longmont United HospitalLongmontColoradoSouthwestB541
Lutheran Medical CenterWheat RidgeColoradoSouthwestA2,045
North Suburban Medical CenterThorntonColoradoSouthwestB1,097
Rose Medical CenterDenverColoradoSouthwestA3,860
Saint Joseph HospitalDenverColoradoSouthwestA4,311
St. Anthony Summit Medical CenterFriscoColoradoSouthwestA411
St. Mary's Hospital and Medical CenterGrand JunctionColoradoSouthwestA1,523
ChristianaCare - Christiana HospitalNewarkDelawareMid-AtlanticA6,055
MedStar Georgetown University HospitalWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaMid-AtlanticB976
AdventHealth SebringSebringFloridaSoutheastA802
AdventHealth Wesley ChapelWesley ChapelFloridaSoutheastA517
Lakeland Regional Medical CenterLakelandFloridaSoutheastB3,133
Lakewood Ranch Medical CenterLakewood RanchFloridaSoutheastB566
St. Joseph's Hospital - SouthRiverviewFloridaSoutheastA1,031
Tampa General HospitalTampaFloridaSoutheastB6,269
Cartersville Medical CenterCartersvilleGeorgiaSoutheastA852
Wellstar North Fulton HospitalRoswellGeorgiaSoutheastB806
Phoebe Sumter Medical CenterAmericusGeorgiaSoutheastB442
Piedmont Fayette HospitalFayettevilleGeorgiaSoutheastB2,587
Piedmont Henry HospitalStockbridgeGeorgiaSoutheastB1,917
Piedmont Newnan HospitalNewnanGeorgiaSoutheastA1,216
Tanner Medical Center of CarrolltonCarrolltonGeorgiaSoutheastB1,276
Wellstar Douglas HospitalDouglasvilleGeorgiaSoutheastA423
Adventist Health CastleKailuaHawaiiWestA1,089
Kaiser Permanente Moanalua Medical CenterHonoluluHawaiiWestA1,401
North Hawaii Community HospitalKamuelaHawaiiWestA464
St. Luke's Boise Medical CenterBoiseIdahoWestA4,008
St. Luke's Meridian Medical CenterMeridianIdahoWestA788
West Valley Medical CenterCaldwellIdahoWestA452
Carle Foundation HospitalUrbanaIllinoisMidwestB2,783
Mercy Hospital and Medical CenterChicagoIllinoisMidwestB1,691
NorthShore University HealthSystem - Evanston HospitalEvanstonIllinoisMidwestA3,520
Northwestern Memorial HospitalChicagoIllinoisMidwestB12,011
OSF Heart of Mary Medical CenterUrbanaIllinoisMidwestA545
Ottawa Regional Hospital and Healthcare Center dba OSF Saint Elizabeth Medical CenterOttawaIllinoisMidwestA347
Rush Copley Medical CenterAuroraIllinoisMidwestA3,016
Sarah Bush Lincoln Health CenterMattoonIllinoisMidwestA776
SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital-CentraliaCentraliaIllinoisMidwestA299
Swedish HospitalChicagoIllinoisMidwestA2,290
West Suburban Medical CenterOak ParkIllinoisMidwestA1,350
Elkhart General HospitalElkhartIndianaMidwestB1,304
Parkview Regional Medical CenterFort WayneIndianaMidwestA2,995
Saint Joseph Health Mishawaka Medical CenterMishawakaIndianaMidwestB1,963
Abbeville General HospitalAbbevilleLouisianaSoutheastB223
Ochsner Medical Center-Baton RougeBaton RougeLouisianaSoutheastA1,413
Thibodaux Regional Health SystemThibodauxLouisianaSoutheastA1,135
Ochsner LSU Health ShreveportMonroeLouisianaSoutheastA842
Cary Medical CenterCaribouMaineNortheastA199
Mainehealth DBA Southern Maine HealthcareBiddefordMaineNortheastA515
Mid Coast HospitalBrunswickMaineNortheastA575
Northern Light Inland HospitalWatervilleMaineNortheastA328
York HospitalYorkMaineNortheastA363
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical CenterBaltimoreMarylandMid-AtlanticA1,291
MedStar St. Mary's HospitalLeonardtownMarylandMid-AtlanticA1,088
University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical CenterLa PlataMarylandMid-AtlanticB890
Berkshire Medical CenterPittsfieldMassachusettsNortheastB726
Cooley Dickinson HospitalNorthamptonMassachusettsNortheastA514
Heywood HospitalGardnerMassachusettsNortheastB426
Lowell General Hospital - Main CampusLowellMassachusettsNortheastB2,157
Mount Auburn HospitalCambridgeMassachusettsNortheastA2,654
Signature Healthcare Brockton HospitalBrocktonMassachusettsNortheastA893
St. Luke's HospitalNew BedfordMassachusettsNortheastB1,576
Bronson Battle CreekBattle CreekMichiganMidwestA814
Dickinson County Healthcare SystemIron MountainMichiganMidwestA386
Henry Ford Allegiance HealthJacksonMichiganMidwestA1,580
Lakeland Community Hospital NilesNilesMichiganMidwestB525
McLaren - Bay RegionBay CityMichiganMidwestB729
Memorial HealthcareOwossoMichiganMidwestA464
Mercy Health Saint Mary'sGrand RapidsMichiganMidwestA2,016
Munson Medical CenterTraverse CityMichiganMidwestB1,614
Spectrum Health Butterworth HospitalGrand RapidsMichiganMidwestB7,714
Spectrum Health United HospitalGreenvilleMichiganMidwestA543
Garden Park Medical CenterGulfportMississippiSoutheastA519
Centerpoint Medical CenterIndependenceMissouriMidwestA1,441
Research Medical Center Main CampusKansas CityMissouriMidwestB1,160
Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas CityKansas CityMissouriMidwestA2,324
Southeast HospitalCape GirardeauMissouriMidwestA924
SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - St. LouisSt. LouisMissouriMidwestB3,296
Wentworth-Douglass HospitalDoverNew HampshireNortheastB1,237
Cooper University HospitalCamdenNew JerseyMid-AtlanticB2,197
Englewood Hospital and Medical CenterEnglewoodNew JerseyMid-AtlanticA2,812
Inspira Medical Center ElmerElmerNew JerseyMid-AtlanticA258
Jersey Shore University Medical CenterNeptuneNew JerseyMid-AtlanticA2,696
Monmouth Medical CenterLong BranchNew JerseyMid-AtlanticA5,808
Newark Beth Israel Medical CenterNewarkNew JerseyMid-AtlanticA2,977
Ocean Medical CenterBrickNew JerseyMid-AtlanticA824
Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes HospitalCamdenNew JerseyMid-AtlanticA855
Virtua Voorhees HospitalVoorheesNew JerseyMid-AtlanticA5,619
CHRISTUS St. Vincent Regional Medical CenterSanta FeNew MexicoSouthwestB1,171
Lovelace Women's HospitalAlbuquerqueNew MexicoSouthwestB2,765
Memorial Medical CenterLas CrucesNew MexicoSouthwestA1,132
NYC Health and Hospitals - WoodhullBrooklynNew YorkNortheastB1,512
St. Joseph's Hospital Health CenterSyracuseNew YorkNortheastA1,974
Alamance Regional Medical CenterBurlingtonNorth CarolinaSoutheastA1,252
Atrium Health ClevelandShelbyNorth CarolinaSoutheastB1,094
Duke Regional HospitalDurhamNorth CarolinaSoutheastA2,256
Duke University HospitalDurhamNorth CarolinaSoutheastA3,501
Harris Regional HospitalSylvaNorth CarolinaSoutheastB573
Maria Parham HealthHendersonNorth CarolinaSoutheastB511
MH Mission Hospital McDowell, LLLPMarionNorth CarolinaSoutheastB301
New Hanover Regional Medical CenterWilmingtonNorth CarolinaSoutheastB3,834
Novant Health Brunswick Medical CenterBoliviaNorth CarolinaSoutheastA506
Novant Health Huntersville Medical CenterHuntersvilleNorth CarolinaSoutheastA1,747
Novant Health Matthews Medical CenterMatthewsNorth CarolinaSoutheastA2,296
Novant Health Presbyterian Medical CenterCharlotteNorth CarolinaSoutheastB5,538
Novant Health Thomasville Medical CenterThomasvilleNorth CarolinaSoutheastA643
Randolph HealthAsheboroNorth CarolinaSoutheastB726
Sentara Albemarle Medical CenterElizabeth CityNorth CarolinaSoutheastA448
University of North Carolina HospitalsChapel HillNorth CarolinaSoutheastA4,082
Wake Forest Baptist Health-Lexington Medical CenterLexingtonNorth CarolinaSoutheastA330
WakeMed Raleigh CampusRaleighNorth CarolinaSoutheastB4,617
Altru Health SystemGrand ForksNorth DakotaMidwestB1,731
Adena Regional Medical CenterChillicotheOhioMidwestA1,065
Cleveland Clinic Health System - Fairview HospitalClevelandOhioMidwestA5,173
Fisher-Titus Medical CenterNorwalkOhioMidwestA513
Mercy Health - Tiffin HospitalTiffinOhioMidwestA480
Mercy Medical CenterCantonOhioMidwestB1,373
MetroHealth Medical CenterClevelandOhioMidwestB2,996
Mount Carmel Grove CityGrove CityOhioMidwestB1,082
Mount Carmel St. Ann's HospitalWestervilleOhioMidwestA3,834
Ohio Health - Marion General HospitalMarionOhioMidwestA860
OhioHealth - O'Bleness HospitalAthensOhioMidwestA646
OhioHealth Dublin Methodist HospitalDublinOhioMidwestA2,618
OhioHealth Grady Memorial HospitalDelawareOhioMidwestA317
OhioHealth Grant Medical CenterColumbusOhioMidwestB2,149
OhioHealth Riverside Methodist HospitalColumbusOhioMidwestA6,299
Summa Health, Barberton CampusBabertonOhioMidwestA633
Mercy Hospital AdaAdaOklahomaSouthwestA436
Asante Three Rivers Medical CenterGrants PassOregonNorthwestA757
CHI Mercy Health Mercy Medical CenterRoseburgOregonNorthwestA856
Kaiser Sunnyside Medical CenterClackamasOregonNorthwestA2,266
Sky Lakes Medical CenterKlamath FallsOregonNorthwestA705
Abington Memorial HospitalAbingtonPennsylvaniaMid-AtlanticA4,403
Butler Memorial HospitalButlerPennsylvaniaMid-AtlanticA973
Geisinger Bloomsburg HospitalBloomsburgPennsylvaniaMid-AtlanticA448
Geisinger Medical CenterDanvillePennsylvaniaMid-AtlanticB1,926
Lehigh Valley Hospital - PoconoEast StroudsburgPennsylvaniaMid-AtlanticB1,053
Meadville Medical CenterMeadvillePennsylvaniaMid-AtlanticA534
UPMC HarrisburgHarrisburgPennsylvaniaMid-AtlanticB3,689
WellSpan Chambersburg HospitalChambersburgPennsylvaniaMid-AtlanticA1,296
Westmoreland HospitalGreensburgPennsylvaniaMid-AtlanticB1,251
Landmark Medical CenterWoonsocketRhode IslandNortheastA371
Mount Pleasant HospitalMt. PleasantSouth CarolinaSoutheastB542
Prisma Health Greenville Memorial HospitalGreenvilleSouth CarolinaSoutheastB3,887
Prisma Health Laurens County HospitalClintonSouth CarolinaSoutheastA346
Prisma Health Oconee Memorial HospitalSenecaSouth CarolinaSoutheastA474
Cumberland Medical CenterCrossvilleTennesseeSoutheastB957
Erlanger East HospitalChattanoogaTennesseeSoutheastB2,540
LeConte Medical CenterSeviervilleTennesseeSoutheastA1,082
Tennova Healthcare - Cleveland Main CampusClevelandTennesseeSoutheastB1,095
Central Texas Medical CenterSan MarcosTexasSouthwestA752
CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital - TylerTylerTexasSouthwestB2,854
Guadalupe Regional Medical CenterSeguinTexasSouthwestA774
Hill Country MemorialFredericksburgTexasSouthwestA444
Nacogdoches Memorial HospitalNacogdochesTexasSouthwestB679
Peterson Regional Medical CenterKerrvilleTexasSouthwestA446
St. David's Round Rock Medical CenterRound RockTexasSouthwestA1,620
United Regional Health Care SystemWichita FallsTexasSouthwestA1,834
Logan Regional HospitalLoganUtahSouthwestB2,255
McKay-Dee Hospital CenterOgdenUtahSouthwestA3,654
Bon Secours Mary Immaculate HospitalNewport NewsVirginiaMid-AtlanticA1,462
Bon Secours Maryview Medical CenterPortsmouthVirginiaMid-AtlanticB376
LewisGale Hospital - MontgomeryBlacksburgVirginiaMid-AtlanticA520
Novant Health UVA Health System Culpeper Medical CenterCulpeperVirginiaMid-AtlanticB449
Sentara Martha Jefferson HospitalCharlottesvilleVirginiaMid-AtlanticA1,484
Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical CenterWilliamsburgVirginiaMid-AtlanticA870
University of Virginia Medical CenterCharlottesvilleVirginiaMid-AtlanticB1,783
Virginia Hospital Center--Arlington Health SystemArlingtonVirginiaMid-AtlanticA4,576
Harrison Medical Center - SilverdaleSilverdaleWashingtonNorthwestA1,965
Highline Medical CenterBurienWashingtonNorthwestB852
Northwest Hospital and Medical CenterSeattleWashingtonNorthwestB1,079
PeaceHealth Southwest Medical CenterVancouverWashingtonNorthwestB1,876
PeaceHealth St. John Medical CenterLongviewWashingtonNorthwestA769
St. Francis Hospital of Federal WayFederal WayWashingtonNorthwestA1,305
Swedish Health Services IssaquahIssaquahWashingtonNorthwestA1,588
Bellin Memorial HospitalGreen BayWisconsinMidwestA1,409
Watertown Regional Medical CenterWatertownWisconsinMidwestA222

Methodology:

The Leapfrog Group is an independent nonprofit that monitors the quality and safety of health care and powers the Newsweek Best Health Care series. Best Maternity Care Hospitals are hospitals that meet Leapfrog's tough standards for excellence in maternity care: hospitals that have low rates of C-section, episiotomy, and early elective deliveries, and follow important protocols to protect moms and babies. Though these are standards aligned with medical research and best practices, not all hospitals achieve them. Newsweek's Best Maternity Care Hospitals are an elite group of hospitals demonstrating the highest performance in the United States.

To be considered for the list, hospitals had to demonstrate that they fully met Leapfrog's standard for all of the following measures:

Early Elective Delivery

Data strongly demonstrates that early elective deliveries—scheduled cesarean sections or medical inductions performed prior to 39 weeks of gestation without medical necessity—carry risks to both babies and mothers. Early elective deliveries can result in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions, longer stays and higher costs to both patients and payers.

For this measure, a lower rate is more desirable. Leapfrog's target for all hospitals is 5% or less.

NTSV C-Section

Cesarean sections (C-sections) carry serious risks of infection or blood clots, and many women experience longer recoveries and difficulty with future pregnancies. C-sections can also cause problems for babies, like breathing difficulties that need treatment in a newborn intensive care unit (NICU). To measure a hospital's rate of C-sections, Leapfrog uses one standardized, endorsed measure that reflects the percentage of first-time mothers giving birth to a single baby, at term, in the head-down position. This measure allows for a fair comparison on C-section rates among very different hospitals.

For this measure, a lower rate is more desirable. Leapfrog's target for all hospitals is 23.9% or less.

Episiotomy

An episiotomy is an incision made in the perineum (the birth canal) during childbirth. Although episiotomies were once routine in childbirth, medical guidelines today recommend an episiotomy only in a narrow set of cases. Episiotomies have been clearly linked with worse perineal tears, loss of bladder or bowel control, serious infections, and pelvic floor defects.

For this measure, a lower rate is more desirable. Leapfrog's target for all hospitals is 5% or less.

Newborn Bilirubin Screening Prior to Discharge

To ensure a safe delivery for mom and baby, hospitals must take some standard precautions for their patients. Leapfrog assesses whether a newborn has been properly screened for a high bilirubin level. If a high level is not caught, the newborn faces a high risk of brain damage and various disabilities.

Leapfrog's target rate is 90% or greater, meaning that at least 90% of babies are screened for jaundice.

Appropriate DVT Prophylaxis in Women Undergoing Cesarean Delivery

Mothers that deliver via C-section are sometimes at risk for a pulmonary embolism, where one or more arteries in the lungs become blocked by a blood clot. Hospitals must take care to reduce this risk using standard prevention protocols.

Leapfrog's target rate is 90% or greater, meaning that techniques to prevent blood clots are used for at least 90% of mothers delivering via C-section.