January 21, 2015

UAB Hospital garners two prestigious awards for women's health

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UAB Hospitalwomen infants is listed among “America’s Best Hospitals for Obstetrics” by the 2015 Women’s Choice Award and “100 Hospitals with Great Women’s Health Programs” by Becker’s Hospital Review.

The Women’s Choice Award was given after a review of the services provided and patient satisfaction scores, with additional consideration given to the hospital’s record for clinical care and full-term deliveries. Becker’s Hospital Review features hospitals that offer outstanding health services geared toward women, including gynecology, obstetrics, women-focused heart care and women-focused cancer care.

“These are exceptional honors that recognize the tremendous efforts of the staff and physicians who work around the clock to provide both routine and comprehensive, cutting-edge health care to women,” said William Andrews, Ph.D., M.D., professor and chair of UAB’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. “We strive to serve our patients and their families with professionalism, respect and compassion in an environment designed to maximize their comfort and experience. The entire team in the UAB Women and Infants Center is extremely proud to receive these prestigious awards.”

Women’s Choice Award is a consumer advocacy group that helps women make smart health care decisions. This marks the third year that the group has presented the award to the nation’s leading obstetrics programs. UAB Obstetrics has earned this recognition for each of those three years, in the category for hospitals with 400-plus beds.

The Women and Infants Center is the only hospital in Alabama where maternal-fetal medicine physicians are available in-house 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The world-class facility is dedicated to the care of women and infants and can provide inpatient surgical care or routine outpatient office visits under one roof in a comfortable, family-friendly atmosphere.  
“UAB is a large organization, so for it to maintain this ranking consistently is a great achievement,” said Delia Passi, CEO and founder of Women’s Choice Award. “Our awards are evidence-based and 100 percent objective — it’s not easy to get on our list.”

UAB Obstetrics was selected following an extensive review of Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems scores and similar measures related to patient safety, infection rates, surgical complications and unnecessary early-term delivery rates.

The Becker’s Hospital Review editorial team selected hospitals for inclusion on its “100 Hospitals” list based on clinical accolades and recognition for women’s health excellence from various health care groups and agencies, including U.S. News & World Report, Healthgrades, CareChex and UNICEF’s Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, a designation UAB is on course to attain in 2015.

UAB boasts one of the largest maternal-fetal medicine programs in the country, and it is one of only 14 centers nationwide — and the only center in Alabama — in the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network.

The Women and Infants Center is the only hospital in Alabama where maternal-fetal medicine physicians are available in-house 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The world-class facility is dedicated to the care of women and infants and can provide inpatient surgical care or routine outpatient office visits under one roof in a comfortable, family-friendly atmosphere.

Several entities recently have recognized the Women and Infants Center and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology for milestones and awards for the quality of research and care they provide.

The Continence and Urogynecology Care Clinics earned reaccreditation as a Center of Excellence for continence care by The National Association for Continence, a designation based on evidence of extensive training, clinical experiences, resources and patient-satisfaction statistics that meet established standards.

Becker’s Hospital Review also named UAB Hospital one of its “100 Hospitals with Great Women’s Health Programs” in 2013. UAB was included based on the comprehensiveness of its women’s health programs and the quality of care offered.

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology also was selected as a recipient of the 2014 Roy M. Pitkin Award, which recognizes the department’s promotion of and excellence in research that ultimately will improve the health care of women.

“We are honored to have been recognized for our efforts, and we will continue to strive for excellence in care for the women of Alabama,” Andrews said.

Visit UAB Medicine for more on maternal-fetal medicine services.