U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in hospital rankings and consumer advice, has named numerous Ochsner Health hospitals as 2025 High Performing hospitals for Maternity Care. This is the highest award a hospital can earn as part of U.S. News’ Best Hospitals for Maternity Care annual study.
The following Ochsner facilities across Louisiana earned a High Performing designation in recognition of maternity care as measured by factors such as birthing-friendly practices, favorable rates for unexpected newborn complications, and transparency on racial/ethnic disparities, among other measures:
"We are so proud of our Women's and NICU Services teams at Ochsner Health. Their dedication to guaranteeing the safety and welfare of both delivering mothers and newborn babies is unwavering," says Lisa Pellerin, MSN, FACHE, System Vice President for Women’s Services at Ochsner Health.
U.S. News began evaluating maternity care hospitals in 2021, rating hospitals that provide labor and delivery services and submit detailed data to the publication for analysis. Best Hospitals for Maternity Care assist expectant parents, in consultation with their prenatal care team, in making informed decisions about where to receive maternity services that best meets their family’s needs.
"This ranking by U.S. News & World Report is a testament to the compassion and expertise of our dedicated obstetricians, nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, pediatricians, family medicine physicians, and nurses who care for expecting mothers and their babies," said Dr. Joseph Biggio, MD, MS, System Chair for Women’s Services and Vice-Chief Scientific Officer at Ochsner Health. "From prenatal care to delivery and follow-up care, we are committed to delivering high-quality care to mothers and babies alike with an array of resources and a dedicated staff."
U.S. News evaluated 817 hospitals from across the United States. Only half of all hospitals evaluated for U.S. News’ 2025 ratings edition have been recognized as Best Hospitals for Maternity Care.
“The hospitals recognized by U.S. News as Best Hospitals for Maternity Care showcase exceptional care for expectant parents,” said Jennifer Winston, Ph.D., health data scientist at U.S. News. “These hospitals demonstrate significantly lower C-section rates and severe unexpected newborn complications compared to hospitals not recognized by U.S. News.”
The U.S. News Best Hospitals for Maternity Care methodology is based entirely on objective measures of quality, such as C-section rates in lower-risk pregnancies, severe unexpected newborn complication rates, exclusive breast milk feeding rates, birthing-friendly practices and reporting on racial/ethnic disparities, among other measures.
For more information about Ochsner Health and women’s services, please visit ochsner.org/services/womens-services. For resources for expecting and new parents, please visit ochsner.org/newmom. For more information on U.S. News World Report Best Hospitals for Maternity, visit Best Hospitals for Maternity Care.
About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader for journalism that empowers consumers, citizens, business leaders and policy officials to make confident decisions in all aspects of their lives and communities. A multifaceted media company, U.S. News provides unbiased rankings, independent reporting and analysis, and consumer advice to millions of people on USNews.com each month. A pillar in Washington for more than 90 years, U.S. News is the trusted home for in-depth and exclusive insights on education, health, politics, the economy, personal finance, travel, automobiles, real estate, careers and consumer products and services.
About Ochsner Health
Ochsner Health is the leading nonprofit healthcare provider in the Gulf South, delivering expert care at its 46 hospitals and more than 370 health and urgent care centers. For 13 consecutive years, U.S. News & World Report has recognized Ochsner as the No. 1 hospital in Louisiana. Additionally, Ochsner Children’s has been recognized as the No. 1 hospital for kids in Louisiana for four consecutive years. Ochsner inspires healthier lives and stronger communities through a combination of standard-setting expertise, quality and connection not found anywhere else in the region. In 2023, Ochsner Health cared for more than 1.5 million people from every state in the nation and 65 countries. Ochsner’s workforce includes more than 38,000 dedicated team members and over 4,700 employed and affiliated physicians. To learn more about how Ochsner empowers people to get well and stay well, visit https://www.ochsner.org/.