Excela earns more high marks for its maternity program

U.S. News & World Report, in its first list of Best Hospitals for Maternity, recognized Excela Health as High Performing in Maternity Care.

The designation — the highest rating U.S. News awards for this type of care — was only for uncomplicated pregnancy, not high-risk pregnancies.

For the last two years, Newsweek has listed Excela’s Family Additions Maternity Center among the nation’s leaders in its Best Maternity Hospitals publications.

Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg is home to the system’s maternity center, which delivers more than 1,200 babies each year. Excela Westmoreland is one of 32 hospitals in Pennsylvania 571 nationwide to be rated by U.S. News.

“We strive each and every day to provide the best care possible to all of our patients,” Excela Health obstetrician Dr. Randi Turkewitz, who chairs the system’s department of obstetrics, said in a statement.

“Instituting multiple safety measures and following best practice guidelines have allowed us to provide this expert care to our patients in the maternity center. It is so important that these metrics are available for the public to review so that they feel reassured that the best providers, nurses and staff are taking care of them or their loved ones. I couldn’t be prouder of the dedication and commitment of the team to achieve this recognition.”

U.S. News reviewed data from 2019 related to complication rates, C-sections, whether births were scheduled too early in pregnancy and hospital support for breastfeeding. The “High Performing” rating was earned by a third of the hospitals evaluated.

The data will be updated and analyzed for the 2022-23 Best Hospitals for Procedures & Conditions ratings, typically released each July by U.S. News.