Atlantic Health System’s maternity centers recognized by U.S. News & World Report for the best hospitals for maternity
NEW JERSEY – For their work in delivering extraordinary care for moms, Atlantic Health System’s Morristown, Overlook, Chilton and Newton Medical Centers have been recognized again as 2025 High Performing in Maternity Care (Uncomplicated Pregnancy) by U.S. News & World Report.
This is the highest award a hospital can earn for U.S. News’ Best Hospitals for Maternity Care annual study. Atlantic Health System’s Newton Medical Center was also named as a 2025 Maternity Care Access Hospital for the second year in a row.
U.S. News began evaluating maternity care hospitals in 2021, rating hospitals that provide labor and delivery services and submit detailed data to the publication for analysis. Best Hospitals for Maternity Care assists expectant parents, in consultation with their prenatal care team, in making informed decisions about where to receive maternity services that best meets their family’s needs.
Morristown, Overlook, Chilton and Newton Medical Centers earned a High Performing designation in recognition of maternity care as measured by factors such as severe unexpected newborn complication rates, birthing-friendly practices and transparency on racial/ethnic disparities, among other measures.
U.S. News’ Best Hospitals for Maternity Care ratings now recognize hospitals offering essential maternity services to underserved communities. Introduced last year, the Maternity Care Access Hospital designation recognizes essential hospitals, which include Newton Medical Center, serving communities that would be in danger of becoming maternity care deserts if they were to stop providing crucial maternity care services. Only 14% of all U.S. News evaluated hospitals have been designated as Maternity Care Access Hospitals. Hospitals were evaluated based on detailed data submitted to U.S. News.
“We are extremely proud to earn this national recognition at all four of Atlantic Health System’s maternity centers,” said Fatima Naqvi, MD, Interim System Medical Director, Women’s Health, Atlantic Health System. “This distinction is a tribute to our physicians and clinical professionals whose top priority is to provide high-quality, patient-centered maternity care to expectant parents.”
U.S. News evaluated 817 hospitals from across the United States. Only half of all hospitals evaluated for U.S. News’ 2025 ratings edition have been recognized as Best Hospitals for Maternity Care.
“The hospitals recognized by U.S. News as Best Hospitals for Maternity Care showcase exceptional care for expectant parents,” said Jennifer Winston, Ph.D., health data scientist at U.S. News. “The Maternity Care Access Hospital designation highlights hospitals that ensure continued access to critical maternity care services and demonstrate their dedication to closing the gap in maternity care deserts.”
The U.S. News Best Hospitals for Maternity Care methodology is based entirely on objective measures of quality, such as C-section rates in lower-risk pregnancies, severe unexpected newborn complication rates, exclusive breast milk feeding rates, birthing-friendly practices and reporting on racial/ethnic disparities, among other measures.
The U.S. News Maternity Care Access Hospitals designation is based on a number of measures including geographic isolation, number of obstetric providers per 10,000 births and hospital quality. Maternity Care Access Hospitals must also meet quality measures for C-section, severe unexpected newborn complications, and episiotomy.
