For Immediate Release

Contact: Carol Ann Campbell

cacampbell@njhcqi.org (973-567-1901)

Leapfrog Maternity Report Finds Reductions in Early Elective Deliveries and Episiotomies Nationally

Cesarean Sections in New Jersey Decline, But 38 Hospitals  Still Have Rates Above Leapfrog Standards

PRINCETON — The 2019 Maternity Care Report by The Leapfrog Group, a national watchdog organization focused on health care safety and quality, found some hospitals around the nation are making strides in maternity quality — but only 20 percent fully meet Leapfrog standards on all three critical maternity measures.

The report, based on results of the 2018 Leapfrog Hospital Survey, provides an in-depth look at how participating hospitals perform on best practices for Cesarean sections, early elective delivery, and episiotomy rates.

An analysis of the Leapfrog Hospital Survey data finds that only eight hospitals in New Jersey fully meet Leapfrog’s maternity care standards for all three of these measures.

They are: Cooper University Hospital; Inspira Medical Center Elmer; Inspira Medical Center Vineland; Jefferson Washington Township Hospital; RWJ Barnabas Health Monmouth Medical Center; Trinitas Regional Medical Center; University Hospital; and Virtua Voorhees Hospital.

“We want to congratulate these eight hospitals for making the commitment to providing high quality care in their labor and delivery units,” said Linda Schwimmer, President and CEO of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute, the Regional Leader for Leapfrog. “And we encourage other New Jersey hospitals to continue working to meet these important measures. We’ve seen that a focused approach of looking at the data, sharing best practices, and discussing each Cesarean section is leading to better performance.”

Schwimmer said that since maternity care varies from hospital to hospital, even within the same region, expectant families should review the Leapfrog maternity data when considering where to deliver their babies.

Highlights of New Jersey’s progress on quality measures include:

• New Jersey had nearly universal participation in the 2018 Leapfrog Hospital Survey, with just one hospital declining to participate. That hospital has made a commitment to participate in the 2019 Leapfrog hospital survey. All New Jersey hospitals that provide maternity care services reported to Leapfrog in 2018.
• New Jersey has made significant progress in the past two years, particularly around early elective deliveries and episiotomies. The rates of early elective deliveries dropped from 3.11 percent in 2016 to less than one percent in 2018. Episiotomies dropped from 13.08 percent in 2016 to 10.17 in 2018.
• The rate of Cesarean sections in the state has declined, but nonetheless 38 hospitals still have rates above Leapfrog’s NTSV standard of less than or equal to 23.9 percent. The NTSV measure refers to the rate of Cesarean section among women having first births of single babies in the correct position for delivery (no breech or transverse positions). The state’s Cesarean rate was 25 percent in 2016 and is 27.84 percent in 2018. The national rate is 26.1 percent.

The report aggregates and analyzes The Leapfrog Group’s reporting by hospital on maternity care and other important indicators of quality. These results and the Maternity Care Report are available for free at www.leapfroggroup.org/compare. Leapfrog is the only source for this unique maternity care data.

About the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute

The Quality Institute is the only independent, nonpartisan advocate working in New Jersey to promote accountability and transparency. We have more than 100 unique member organizations – all committed to improving health care for everyone.

About The Leapfrog Group

Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey collects and transparently reports hospital performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections.