According to a news release from the University of Iowa Health Care, U.S. News & World Report has ranked UI Health Care Medical Center as a 2025 High-Performing hospital for Maternity Care.
Not for the first time, the medical center on the university campus has been listed as a 2025 High Performing hospital for Maternity Care. This is the highest award a hospital can earn as part of U.S. News’ Best Hospitals for Maternity Care annual study, the release states.
U.S. News evaluated 817 hospitals from across the United States. Only half of all hospitals evaluated for the 2025 ratings edition have been recognized as Best Hospitals for Maternity Care.
“I’m extremely proud of our team continuing to earn national recognition at a time when more babies are being born at our hospitals than ever before,” said Dr. Christian Pettker, department executive officer, in the release. “Not only are we looking to expand maternal health services at our campuses to ensure we’re here for those who need us, but we’re also providing outreach support in rural communities. We’re educating and supporting emergency care teams and front-line providers around the state to bolster their obstetric skills.”
To accommodate the state’s growing need for maternal care and specialized newborn care, UI Health Care has multiple projects underway to expand facilities for its neonatal care and maternal health services.
In June, UI Health Care petitioned the Iowa Board of Regents for permission to pursue a $74 million, 30,000-square-foot renovation to expand labor, delivery and postpartum patient care on the seventh floor of the John Pappajohn Pavilion.
As stated in the release, UI Health Care Medical Center earned a High Performing designation in recognition of maternity care as measured by factors such as severe unexpected newborn complication rates, birthing-friendly practices, and transparency on racial/ethnic disparities, among other measures.
“The hospitals recognized by U.S. News as Best Hospitals for Maternity Care showcase exceptional care for expectant parents,” said Jennifer Winston, health data scientist at U.S. News, in the release. “These hospitals demonstrate significantly lower C-section rates and severe unexpected newborn complications compared to hospitals not recognized by U.S. News.”
The U.S. News Best Hospitals for Maternity Care methodology is based on objective measures of quality, such as C-section rates in lower-risk pregnancies, severe unexpected newborn complication rates, exclusive breast milk feeding rates, birthing-friendly practices, and reporting on racial/ethnic disparities, among other measures.
