McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center has been recognized as one of America’s Best Hospitals for Obstetrics by the Women’s Choice Award®. This award signifies that McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center is in the top 13% of 4,675 U.S. hospitals offering obstetrics.

The Women’s Choice Award educates all women on where to receive the best care and focuses its research on hospitals that provide the highest quality patient experience, especially important for potential labor complications.

“Having a baby is one of the most precious times in a woman’s life,” said Delia Passi founder and CEO of the Women’s Choice Award. “New moms have many choices to make when it comes to having their baby, and choosing where to deliver the baby is right up there with choosing the best doctor. We’ve made it easy for her to identify the best hospitals that are proven to deliver an outstanding birthing experience.”

The methodology for the Best Hospitals for Obstetrics is unique in that it combines national accreditations, Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey results and hospital outcome scores with primary research about women’s healthcare preferences. It is the only award recognizing excellence in obstetric services based on robust criteria that consider patient satisfaction and clinical excellence.

The Best Hospitals for Obstetrics award gives consideration to the following specific criteria (all are not required):

• The percentage of patients reporting through the HCAHPS survey that they would definitely recommend the hospital
• Patient safety ranking based on 13 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ measures of infection and complication rates
• Low rates of early elective deliveries (between 0-1%)
• Baby-Friendly USA designation, a World Health Organization (WHO)/United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) initiative to support best practices for breast feeding education and counseling

For more information on the Best Hospitals for Obstetrics visit https://womenschoiceaward.com/best-hospitals-for-obstetrics

McKenzie Willamette Medical Center Recognized as a “Birthing-Friendly” Facility The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS’) Care Compare tool has a new feature that allows consumers to find hospitals and health systems with a Birthing-Friendly designation, indicating it participates in a state or national perinatal quality improvement program. Birthing-Friendly is the first-ever CMS designation to describe high-quality maternity care. “I am extremely proud of our entire team at McKenzie Willamette Medical Center as we earn the international Birthing-Friendly designation.” said Kimberly Snauer, RN, MSN, Manager of Women’s Health, Birth, and Children’s Center at McKenzie Willamette Medical Center.

“We pride ourselves in evidence-based perinatal quality measures and will continue our dedication to improving maternal health. We are honored to be recognized as a CMS Birthing-Friendly facility.” added Snauer. Eighty percent of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, and Black, American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander people have the highest rates of pregnancy-related death. Pregnant and postpartum people from some racial and ethnic minority groups are also more likely to have negative healthcare experiences during pregnancy and delivery that impact the quality of care they receive and health outcomes. The Birthing-Friendly designation is a step towards ensuring that all pregnant and postpartum people can find high-quality maternity care. “As maternal health inequities persist across the nation, the designation offers a tangible marker of the evidence-based practices that hospitals can pursue to close these gaps and ultimately provide the kind of care all parents deserve,” said Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, CMS Administrator.