Four Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) hospitals have received national recognition from U.S. News & World Report for providing high-quality care to new mothers and their babies.

Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH), which includes LVH - Cedar Crest and LVH - Muhlenberg, LVH - Pocono and LVH - Hazleton, received high-performing designations for maternity care for 2023-2024, and are the only hospitals in the region to achieve this honor.

“Receiving a high performing designation for maternity care from U.S. News & World Report is a tremendous honor for me and my team,” said Amanda Flicker, MD, Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at LVHN.

“Our team of clinicians is among the best in the nation. We consistently provide high-quality, compassionate care at each step of pregnancy and postpartum,” Flicker said.

LVHN provides evidence-based maternity care to ensure new mothers and infants have the tools they need to thrive before, during and after pregnancy. Care is team-based, which means obstetricians, midwives, maternal fetal medicine specialists and highly-skilled nurses play a key role in support and education at each step of pregnancy.

The maternity care team is continually learning and receives training based on best practices for care at every level. This training gives the team the tools necessary to make informed lifesaving decisions during the crucial moments of an emergency.

LVHN hospitals in the Lehigh Valley region are Magnet-recognized, so nurses demonstrate excellence and deliver high-quality care. Only 8 percent of hospitals earned a Magnet recognition.

The U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals maternity care is based on objective measures, including C-section rates in lower-risk pregnancies, newborn complication rates, exclusive breastfeeding rates, early elective delivery rates, birthing-friendly practices and transparency about racial/ethnic disparities.

“Hospitals that receive a high performing designation as part of Best Hospitals for Maternity Care meet a high standard in caring for parents with uncomplicated pregnancies,” said Jennifer Winston, health data scientist at U.S. News.

“These hospitals have C-section rates that are 26 percent lower, and newborn complication rates that are 37 percent lower than unrecognized hospitals. Parents-to-be can research their local hospitals’ performance metrics for free at health.usnews.com to help them choose where to have their baby,” Winston said.

U.S. News evaluated 680 hospitals from across the United States. Participants submitted detailed labor and delivery data for analysis. Fewer than half of hospitals that submitted data received a high-performing designation.