UC Medical Center recently became the first and only Level IV maternity hospital in Greater Cincinnati, and one of just seven Level IV maternity hospitals in Ohio. A Level IV maternity hospital is a regional perinatal health care center able to treat the most complex medical conditions during pregnancy, labor, and postpartum.
“UC Medical Center has always been a leader in providing complex evidence-based care to the highest risk moms and babies. We are so pleased to receive this certification, which is truly an honor and validates the work we do every day to improve maternal and fetal outcomes,” said Candice Snyder, MD, assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and medical director of labor and delivery and inpatient obstetric services at UC Medical Center.
The Level IV maternity hospital designation is the highest-acuity classification offered under a new categorization system instituted this year by the Ohio Department of Health at the recommendation of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Studies have shown that high-risk patients have a higher risk for severe maternal morbidity at low-acuity hospitals compared with high-acuity centers like UC Medical Center. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists supports regionalization and risk appropriate maternal care to reduce the national increase in severe maternal morbidity and mortality.
“We are proud to provide the very highest level of specialized maternal-fetal care available to women in our community,” said Ann Smith, senior vice president of hospital operations for UC Health. “This means that we are capable of treating the most complicated conditions and caring for the most critically-ill patients, a level of advanced care made possible by our status as the region’s Level I trauma center.”