First-Ever National Release of Cesarean Section Rates by Hospital Finds More Than 60 Percent of Reporting Hospitals Have Excessive Rates

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- After championing a drastic reduction in the occurrence of early elective deliveries at hospitals, The Leapfrog Group today released new information on hospital rates of cesarean sections (C-sections). Never before have purchasers or patients had a single, standardized C-section rate to compare by hospital at the national level. Find hospital rates here.

Of the hospitals that reported a C-section rate to the voluntary annual survey this year, less than half (39.1 percent) met Leapfrog's target rate. States like Utah and Idaho excelled with average rates less than 20 percent, whereas others like Kentucky and Florida failed to achieve the target, with average rates over 32 percent. This striking variation was apparent even within individual communities.

These findings came from Leapfrog's annual hospital survey, for which 1,122 hospitals reported a C-section rate. Endorsed by The Joint Commission, National Quality Forum (NQF), and CMS, the Nulliparous Term Singleton Vertex Cesarean Section Rate (NTSV C-Section), counts first-time pregnancies (nulliparous) that have reached the 37^th week or later mark (term) and consist of one fetus (singleton) in the head-down position (vertex). Leapfrog's panel of experts recommended an initial target rate of 23.9 percent, derived from  Healthy People 2020, a national initiative designed to make significant improvements to people's health by year 2020.

To view the complete C-section data, along with a variety of links to educational resources, please visit http://www.leapfroggroup.org/c-section. Journalists interested in scheduling an interview should contact [email protected]. Available for interview are:

• Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group
• Elliott Main, M.D., chair of Leapfrog's Maternity Care Expert Panel and medical director of Stanford's California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative
• Debra Bingham, DrPH, RN, member of Leapfrog's Maternity Care Expert Panel and vice president of Nursing Research, Education, and Practice at the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric & Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN)

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.

CONTACTS:        

Jillian Laffrey
The Leapfrog Group
202-292-6713
[email protected]

Ashley Duvall
Stern Strategy Group / Leapfrog
908-325-3865
[email protected]

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SOURCE The Leapfrog Group