Saint Peter’s University Hospital Named Among U.S. News & World Report’s Fifth Annual 2026 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care

U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in hospital rankings and consumer advice, has named Saint Peter’s University Hospital as a 2026 High Performing hospital for Maternity Care. This is the highest award a hospital can earn as part of U.S. News’ Best Hospitals for Maternity Care annual study, now in its fifth edition.

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. For the 2026 edition, approximately 900 hospitals nationwide submitted maternity data for evaluation. Best Hospitals for Maternity Care ratings are intended to assist expectant parents, in consultation with their prenatal care providers, in making informed decisions about where to receive maternity services that best meet their family’s needs.

Saint Peter’s earned a High Performing designation in recognition of 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.

“As a destination for superior maternal care in central New Jersey and beyond, and an institution whose models of care are often adopted by other hospitals, we are proud that Saint Peter’s University Hospital has once again been named one of America’s High Performing Maternity Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report,” said Leslie D. Hirsch, FACHE, president and CEO of Saint Peter’s Healthcare System. “It is a credit to the dedication of our physicians, nurses, other healthcare professionals and support teams who commit themselves every day to delivering the highest levels of safe, quality care to expectant mothers and newborns. Whether it’s a high-risk pregnancy requiring specialized care or a low-risk birth delivered in our accredited, midwifery-led birth center, Saint Peter’s has the expertise to handle a range of prenatal, birthing and post-partum needs.”

“Hospitals designated as a U.S. News Best Hospital 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. “It's a clear signal to expectant parents about where the highest standards of care are being practiced – when parents see this designation, they can be assured they are choosing a hospital dedicated to exceptional, evidence-based maternity care.”

For more information about Saint Peter’s University Hospital’s maternity services visit https://www.saintpetershcs.com/services/maternity