If every hospital maternity unit nationally were as good as the one at Northern Dutchess Hospital, a recent report said, some 142,000 birth complications might be averted.
The report by HealthGrades, which bills itself as the nation”™s leading, independent source of physician information and hospital quality outcomes, awarded Northern Dutchess Hospital (NDH) its top “five-star” rating for maternity care in 2011.
NDH is part of the Health Quest system, which includes Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie and Putnam Hospital Center in Carmel.
NDH, a 68-bed, acute-care facility in Rhinebeck, is the only hospital in both Dutchess and Ulster counties to receive the five-star distinction. The report said women who gave birth at five-star hospitals experienced 32 percent fewer complications than those at lower-rated facilities.
Opened in 1985 as the first hospital-based birthing center in the state, the Neugarten Family Birth Center delivers more than 800 babies each year.
“The team of physicians, midwives, nurses, anesthesiologists and staff work together to provide a high level of sophisticated medical care in a setting that is aesthetically pleasing and conducive to family centered care,” NDH said in a statement.
Options include pain management and an operating suite for Caesarean births.
NDH embraces complete pregnancy care including pregnancy exercise class, lactation services, mother and baby exercise, sibling class, childbirth class, car seat safety checks and infant CPR.
“The physicians, hospitalists, midwives, nurses and staff work together with patients and their families to make each experience safe, comfortable and unique,” said Pamela Rhodes, director of women”™s services at NDH.
“Women today have a wide array of options when it comes to reproductive health and choosing a health care provider who aligns with their personal preferences,” said Divya Cantor, HealthGrades”™ senior physician consultant. “Mothers-to-be can optimize their chances for receiving the highest possible quality of care by researching and comparing the clinical outcomes of hospitals and doctors in their area.”
Findings of the HealthGrades report, titled “Obstetrics & Gynecology in American Hospitals,” include:
Ӣ In the 19 states studied, 7 percent of women undergoing single live-born deliveries experience an in-hospital complication.
”¢ If all hospitals performed at the level of five-star hospitals in maternity care, 32 percent of these complications, (141,869), could “potentially have been prevented.”
