'Birthing friendly' label requires little effort by hospitals

WASHINGTON — Six months after the launch of the Biden administration’s “birthing friendly” designation for hospitals, advocates are questioning the next steps for the tool aimed at incentivizing better care for patients.

Beginning last fall, hospitals that achieved the designation received an icon on Care Compare, a federal website aimed at helping consumers pick health care providers.

But it’s not difficult for hospitals to receive the designation, with 2,225 — that is, most eligible hospitals — having received it as of April.

Of the nearly 1,000 acute care hospitals that didn’t get the designation, more than 800 said they didn’t provide delivery or labor care.

And only 135 didn’t get the designation because they didn’t meet the requirements of participating in a statewide or national perinatal quality improvement collaborative program.

What’s more, many of the hospitals that have received the designation perform cesarean sections above the recommended levels, which could indicate overuse of the procedure. C-sections are considered riskier than vaginal birth, with a longer recovery time.

“Right now, it falls short in terms of what pregnant people would need,” said Sinsi Hernández-Cancio, vice president of health justice at the National Partnership for Women and Families.

While many people typically don’t have much of a choice on where they give birth because of insurance limitations or living in areas with few providers, for those with choices, the designation currently is of little use, she said.

“Given that the majority of hospitals have gotten the designation because the requirements for it are a pretty low bar, it’s not really a useful distinction even for those consumers that do have a choice,” Hernández-Cancio said. “Because if the majority of the hospitals have it, and all the ones in your area do, it doesn’t make a difference.”

The designation is part of the Biden administration’s efforts to improve maternal health amid concerns about persistent inequities in health outcomes.

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