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Cape Coral Hospital Named One of the Best Maternity Care Hospitals in the U.S.

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FORT MYERS, Fla. (Nov. 22, 2022) --- Cape Coral Hospital made Leapfrog and Money’s list as one of the Best Hospitals for Maternity Care in the country. 

The Money Group, a digital platform that was originally founded as a print magazine, partnered with Leapfrog to create this list and, using Leapfrog's data, facilities were selected that consistently delivered the safest, highest-quality maternity care. The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization focused on quality and safety in health care in the United States.

The list showed that Cape Coral Hospital has a cesarean section rate of 13.8%, which is well-below the national benchmark for a cesarean section at 23.6%. The hospital’s rate was at 31.9% in 2019. Bringing it down by almost 20 points was the result of collaboration and teamwork across a variety of departments. This is significant because there are less complications with vaginal births and having a cesarean section can lead to complications with the next pregnancy.

To be included in the list, eligible hospitals had to carry an ‘A’ or ‘B’ letter grade on the spring 2022 Leapfrog Hospital Survey and meet criteria specific to providing maternity care. These included:

  • Having less than 5% of deliveries before 39 weeks for no medical reason
  • A cesarean birth benchmark lower than the national benchmark of 23.6%
  • An episiotomy benchmark less than 5%
  • Being at least 90% compliant in providing DVT prophylaxis to women and preventing blood clots for women undergoing a cesarean section
  • And screening for bilirubin in more than 90% of newborns

“The hospital safety grade and maternity list distinction show that Cape Coral Hospital is one of the best resources in the community for women’s health care and we’re very proud of that. We work hard to make sure our patients receive the best possible care here,” said Cherrie Morris, M.D., chief physician and operations executive at Cape Coral Hospital.

“I am extremely proud of our staff and being named to this list shows how much our Women’s Services Team goes above and beyond for their patients and their little bundles of joy,” said Candace S. Smith, Ph.D., chief nursing and operations executive at Cape Coral Hospital. “It’s a testament to the hard work and collaboration with everyone including nurses, doctors and midwives.”

In addition to being named one of the best maternity hospitals, Cape Coral Hospital also received an “A” grade from Leapfrog’s Fall 2022 Hospital Safety Grades, based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections and other harms.

To view the Best Hospitals for Maternity Care list, visit https://money.com/best-hospitals/maternity/.

To learn more about Leapfrog’s Fall 2022 Hospital Safety Grades, please visit http://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/.

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