All Saint Luke’s Maternity Hospitals Named to U.S. News & World Report 2025 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – U.S. News & World Report has named Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City, Saint Luke’s East Hospital, and Saint Luke’s North Hospital–Barry Road as 2025 High Performing hospitals 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.

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 assist expectant parents, in consultation with their prenatal care team, in making informed decisions about where to receive maternity services that best meet their family’s needs.

Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City, Saint Luke’s East Hospital, and Saint Luke’s North Hospital–Barry Road each 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.

Saint Luke’s North Hospital–Barry Road was also named as a 2025 Maternity Care Access Hospital—a designation recognizing essential hospitals serving communities that would be in danger of becoming maternity deserts if they were to stop providing crucial maternity care services. 

“As the region’s trusted maternity partner for 135 years, we are proud of the exceptional care and supportive environment that our team provides to all those involved in the birthing experience,” said Kristen Wootton, DO, medical director of obstetrical and neonatal services in BJC Health System’s West Region, which operates as Saint Luke’s. “All three of our Saint Luke’s hospitals delivering maternity care earned the highest award, demonstrating our commitment and dedication to the quality care we provide daily.”

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, PhD, health data scientist at U.S. News. “These hospitals demonstrate significantly lower C-section rates and severe unexpected newborn complications compared to hospitals not recognized by U.S. News.”

The U.S. News Best Hospitals for Maternity Care methodology is based entirely on objective measures of quality, such as cesarean 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.

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

About BJC Health System
BJC Health System is one of the largest nonprofit health care organizations in the United States and the largest in the state of Missouri, serving urban, suburban and rural communities in Missouri, southern Illinois and eastern Kansas. One of the largest employers in Missouri, BJC operates in two distinct regions as Saint Luke’s in the west and BJC HealthCare in the east. BJC is comprised of 24 hospitals and hundreds of clinics and service organizations, all committed to providing extraordinary patient care and advancing medical breakthroughs. BJC’s nationally recognized academic hospitals, Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s Hospitals, are affiliated with Washington University School of Medicine.

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.