PORTSMOUTH, NH (June 6, 2022) — Portsmouth Regional Hospital (PRH) has earned the distinction of Best Maternity Hospitals 2022 from Newsweek magazine. There are 2,700 hospitals in the U.S. that offer maternity services, and more than 10,000 medical professionals were invited to participate in the survey. Only 350 hospitals were named to this exclusive list.
“The Labor & Delivery team at Portsmouth Regional Hospital strives to provide the safest and highest- quality patient experience possible to all of our new moms, babies and families, and it means a great deal to us to have our work recognized by Newsweek,” said Nora Fortin, RN, NH Market Director of Women and Children’s Services. “One of the things we are most proud of is our rate of moms who breastfeed their newborns – approximately 90 percent of our moms breastfeed, providing their newborns with not only the best nutrition but a unique bonding experience.”
In addition to having a high rate of new moms who breastfeed, PRH provides donor milk to new moms who would like to provide breast milk but are unable to breastfeed. Also, the hospital’s cesarean section rate is among the best in the country, falling below 23.6 percent, a national benchmark set by The Leapfrog Group, a non-profit watchdog organization that serves as a voice for healthcare consumers.
The award is presented by Newsweek and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. Newsweek and Statista developed a complex methodology to ensure the quality and validity of the ranking. Three data sources were used for the evaluation:
- Nationwide online survey: Hospital managers and healthcare professionals with knowledge about maternity processes e.g. Midwives, neonatal and OB/GYNs were asked to recommend leading maternity hospitals in the U.S.
- Medical KPIs on hospitals with a focus on indicators relevant to maternity care
- Results from patient surveys
Portsmouth Regional Hospital has offered maternity services for many years to the Seacoast community and currently delivers approximately 500 babies each year.