ST. LOUIS — Eleven Mercy hospitals across four states were recognized as Best Hospitals for Maternity Care by U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in hospital rankings and consumer advice. This recognition across two categories, 2026 High Performing Hospitals and 2026 Maternity Care Access Hospitals, continues a tradition of compassionate care for women and children that began nearly 200 years ago with the Sisters of Mercy.
Mercy hospitals that earned the 2026 High Performing maternity rating include:
- Arkansas: Northwest Arkansas
- Missouri: Jefferson, Southeast, South (St. Louis), St. Louis and Washington
- Oklahoma: Ada and Oklahoma City
These Mercy hospitals earned the high-performing designation that measures 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 benchmarks. It 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.
In 2021, U.S. News began 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 via the annual Maternity Services Survey, with nearly 500 earning High Performing accolades.
Mercy hospitals that earned the 2026 Maternity Care Access Hospitals rating include:
- Kansas: Pittsburg
- Missouri: Aurora, Jefferson and Washington
- Oklahoma: Ardmore
Now in its third year, the Maternity Care Access Hospital designation recognizes essential hospitals that offer maternity services to underserved communities that would otherwise be in danger of becoming maternity care deserts if they were to stop providing crucial maternity care services. Based on the 900 hospitals that submitted data to U.S. News, just 147 hospitals – or 16% of all evaluated hospitals – were designated as Maternity Care Access Hospitals. The designation is also part of U.S. News' Best Hospitals for Maternity Care ratings.
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.
“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, visit Best Hospitals for Maternity Care and use #BestMaternityHospitals on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok and X.
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.
