2026 High Performing Hospital for Maternity Care & Maternity Access Hospital Designations

U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in hospital rankings and consumer advice, has recognized Deaconess Memorial Medical Center with two prestigious maternity care honors for 2026: High Performing Hospital for Maternity Care and Maternity Care Access Hospital. These awards represent the highest distinctions a hospital can earn as part of U.S. News’ Best Hospitals for Maternity Care annual study.

Now in its fifth year, the Best Hospitals for Maternity Care program evaluates hospitals that provide labor and delivery services and submit detailed data for analysis. For the 2026 ratings, approximately 900 hospitals nationwide participated. The program is designed to help expectant parents, in consultation with their prenatal care providers, make informed decisions about where to receive maternity services that best meet their families’ needs.

The High Performing designation recognizes hospitals that demonstrate exceptional outcomes in maternity care as measured by factors such as C-section rates in lower-risk pregnancies, severe unexpected newborn complication rates, exclusive breast milk feeding rates, and birthing-friendly practices, among other measures.

The Maternity Care Access Hospital designation, now in its third year, highlights hospitals that provide essential maternity services to underserved communities and meet U.S. News’ strict quality standards. Of the roughly 900 hospitals evaluated, only 147 hospitals – or 16% – earned this Access designation for 2026. These hospitals play a vital role in preventing maternity care deserts and ensuring families receive safe, high-quality care regardless of geographic barriers.

“Receiving both of these honors reaffirms our commitment to delivering exceptional and accessible maternity care to every family we serve,” said Keith Miller, Deaconess Memorial Chief Administrative Officer and Deaconess Indiana Region President. “Our team of providers, nurses, and support staff are dedicated to providing safe, compassionate, evidence-based care, and we are proud to be recognized for both quality and access.”

“Hospitals designated as U.S. News Best Hospitals for Maternity Care are national leaders. This recognition means they are consistently hitting crucial patient safety benchmarks compared to other hospitals,” said Jennifer Winston, Ph.D., health data scientist at U.S. News. “The Access designation is also essential – these hospitals meet strict quality measures for safety and outcomes while simultaneously ensuring that geographical isolation does not prevent families from receiving the care they need.”

For more information, visit Best Hospitals for Maternity Care and use #BestMaternityHospitals on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok and X.

About Deaconess Memorial Medical Center’s Women and Children Services
Deaconess Memorial Medical Center offers comprehensive maternal and newborn services, including home-feel birthing suites, 24/7 obstetric coverage, lactation support, and a Level II nursery. The hospital’s support through the Oh Baby app, a variety of educational programs, and baby check-in opportunities reflect Deaconess Memorial’s mission to support families throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and beyond.

About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader for journalism that empowers consumers, citizens, business leaders and policy officials to make confident decisions in all aspects of their lives and communities. A multifaceted media company, U.S. News provides unbiased rankings, independent reporting and analysis, and consumer advice to millions of people on USNews.com each month. A pillar in Washington for more than 90 years, U.S. News is the trusted home for in-depth and exclusive insights on education, health, politics, the economy, personal finance, travel, automobiles, real estate, careers and consumer products and services.