NEW BEDFORD, Mass. – Southcoast Health announced today that it has achieved the Healthgrades 2014 Maternity Care Excellence Award – the only hospital in Massachusetts to do so – according to Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals. This unique distinction places Southcoast within the top 10 percent of all hospitals in the nation evaluated for exceptional care provided to mothers – during and after childbirth – and to their newborn children.

“Southcoast is very proud to be recognized by Healthgrades for our industry-leading level of maternity care,” said Keith Hovan, President and CEO of Southcoast Health. “The great skill and dedication demonstrated by our staff, led by Dr. Patrick Nugent, is not just of the highest quality in this region, but clearly state- and nation-wide, as well. We take great pride in delivering this level of care for each and every birth, and will continue to go to great lengths to exceed our patients’ expectations. For these reasons, we know that expectant mothers and newborns from our community will continue to receive world-class care at Southcoast without having to travel far from home.”

To help consumers evaluate and compare hospital performance in maternity care, Healthgrades analyzed patient outcome data for virtually every hospital in the 17 states that provide all-payer state data for years 2010 through 2012. Healthgrades found that the variation in hospital performance can make a difference in terms of clinical outcomes. Its report highlights that patients treated at five-star rated hospitals had 54.3 percent fewer complications during a vaginal childbirth delivery and 77.5 percent fewer during a C-section delivery than those treated at one-star rated hospitals.

“It is important for women to take into account important pieces of quality information, such as hospital complication, birth rate and newborn mortality rates, when they are choosing how and where to deliver their baby,” said Evan Marks, Executive Vice President, Informatics and Strategy, Healthgrades. “Patients can have confidence that those hospitals recognized as a Healthgrades 2014 Maternity Care Excellence Award recipient have demonstrated an established commitment to maternal care.”

Each year Southcoast Health delivers nearly 3,500 babies between its three hospitals – Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham. Maternity services at Southcoast Health offer a family-centered approach that provides the right combination of state-of-the-art technology and expert, compassionate care.

“It is an honor to be recognized among the nation’s best hospitals for maternity care,” said Patrick Nugent, MD, Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Southcoast Health. “At Southcoast, our tremendous staff has great skill and compassion that ensures the absolute highest level of care for each and every expecting mother that trusts us to be a part of an amazing experience in their life. We never take this privilege for granted, making sure that every need is met and every precaution is taken from the moment care begins until long after mom and child leave the hospital together for the first time.”

Visit http://www.southcoast.org/maternity/ to learn more about maternity care at Southcoast. For additional details on the methodology for selecting the Maternity Care Excellence Award recipients, please see the complete Healthgrades Women’s Health Report 2014 at www.healthgrades.com/quality.

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