Joe Cardillo, Reporter, Albuquerque Business First
It’s not often that coming in at the bottom of a list evokes a positive response, but for Lovelace Health System, that was the reaction to rankings from Consumer Reports that found the hospital has one of the lowest rates of cesarean sections in the nation.
Lovelace Women’s Hospital came in with the fifth-lowest rate of C-sections for first-time mothers with low-risk pregnancies, at just 13 percent overall.
Lovelace Women's Hospital came in with the 5th lowest rate of cesarian births in a national ranking from Consumer Reports.
New Mexico overall carried a rate of 18 percent for those births, well below the Department of Health and Human Services target rate of 23.9 percent or less. The designation is specific because it does not include cases like twins or triplets where cesareans might be more often medically necessary for the health of the children or mother, or when a child is delivered facing the wrong way.
Dr. Abraham Lichtmacher, chief of women’s services at Lovelace, says that the hospitals ranking isn’t out of the blue.
“[Our] rate hasn’t changed dramatically over the last 13 years,” said Lichtmacher. “It’s not just a random event. It speaks partly to the culture that exists in Lovelace, partly to the culture in New Mexico overall, and partly to our adherence to clinical guidelines.”
One relevant factor in that culture, Lichtmacher says, is that midwifery is a strong practice in the state.
“Those hospitals locally and nationally that have significant midwifery practices tend to have lower rates of cesarean," he said. “Cesareans are more expensive and if you get an improved outcome that may be worth it but if we know that clinically we don't get a better outcome, if we know outcomes are about the same or worse, then we’ve added a cost to the patient without any benefit.”
The data is also welcome news because in addition to the potential risk of a more complicated procedure, the cost of a C-section is higher. According to a study from Truven Health Analytics, employer-provided commercial health insurance plans saw an average total natural birth cost of $32,093, while the average cost for cesarean birth was $51,125.
See the original story here.