Hospitals Have Varied C-Section Rates

California hospitals are slightly below the target set by a national quality initiative to reduce the rates of Caesarean sections, but the rates still vary widely, according to the data self-reported to the Leapfrog Group.

The Washington, D.C.-baed Leapfrog had set a goal of reducing the national C-section rate to 23.9%, noting that overuse of the practice exposed too many women to unnecessary abdominal surgery. However, less than 40% of the hospitals it surveyed actually met that rate. Only 10 states actually met the rate. Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida and Kentucky had rates well above 30%.

“Far too many women are undergoing a major abdominal surgery without medical necessity – with all the risks that any surgery entails,” said Leapfrog Chief Executive Officer Leah Binder.

California's rate of 25.7% placed it 15th among states. But many hospitals did not self-report their actual rates – only 158 of 298 hospitals that provided obstetrics responded to Leapfrog's queries --  and it varied widely among facilities that did report.

Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton had the lowest C-section rate in California, at 11.2%. ValleyCare Health System in Pleasanton had a reported rate of 70.7%, but Leapfrog said the rate was unusually high and could not be verified. Sutter Lakeside Hospital in Lakeport had the highest confirmed rate at 40.2%. Altogether, 100 hospitals had rates above the Leapfrog target, with 58 at or below the target. That more or less follows Leapfrog's conclusion that 60% of hospitals nationwide have not met the target rate.

“The good news is that by reporting to Leapfrog these hospitals are transparent about this problem, which is an important step toward solving it,” Binder said. “I’m more worried about the hospitals that declined to report their rates.”