Tampa General Hospital has been named to the annual list of Best Maternity Hospitals in the United States by Newsweek and The Leapfrog Group; an independent non-profit that monitors the quality and safety of health care organizations.
"We are honored to be named as one of the best maternity hospitals in the United States," said Dr. Judette Louis, the Co-Director of Women and Children's Services at Tampa General Hospital. "This distinction is a result of our efforts to provide safe and high-quality care for mothers and their babies across Tampa Bay. It reaffirms our message that where you deliver matters."
A panel of national experts advised Leapfrog on the standards for achieving excellence in maternity care and earning a spot on the annual list. Those standards include:
- Low Early Elective Delivery Dates – Hospitals effort to limit births prior to 39 weeks of gestation without medical necessity
- Lower Rates of Cesarean Sections for First Time Mothers
- Low Episiotomy Rates
- High Rates of Newborn Screenings for Jaundice Prior to Hospital Discharge
- High Rates of Prevention Techniques to Prevent Blood Clots of Mothers Delivering via C-Section
The standards for hospitals to be considered for the list align with the latest medical research and best practices. Only 231 hospitals in 36 states passed these rigorous standards to earn a spot on the Best Maternity Hospitals 2020 list.
TGH is one of only three hospitals in the Tampa Bay area to have received international recognition as a Baby-Friendly® designated birth facility by Baby-Friendly USA, Inc; an organization that supports breastfeeding mothers and their babies. Tampa General Hospital's Jennifer Leigh Muma Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and its close affiliation with the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine means that mothers, babies and families always have world-class medical care.
ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, a 1006-bed non-profit academic medical center, delivers world-class care as the region's only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. It is one of the nation's busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With five medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center and its 32-bed Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to an 82-bed Level IV neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital's footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health and 15 outpatient Radiology Centers. Tampa Bay residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics, and they can even receive home visits in select areas through TGH Urgent Care at Home, powered by Fast Track. As one of the largest hospitals in Florida, Tampa General Hospital is first in the state to open a command center in partnership with GE Healthcare. For more information, go to www.tgh.org
