St. Francis receives certification for safer baby deliveries

St. Francis Women’s Hospital in Columbus has the distinction of being the only Georgia hospital to receive Perinatal Care Certification from The Joint Commission.

In fact, the hospital which resumed baby deliveries in 2013 is one of only 33 hospitals nationwide to have the certification, which at its core aims to reduce infant mortality and complications by mothers during high-risk pregnancies. The certification was launched in 2015. It is good for two years.

“Achieving Perinatal Care Certification recognizes an organization’s commitment to healthy mothers and healthy babies,” Patrick Phelan, interim executive director of The Joint Commission’s Hospital Business Development office, said in a statement. “The certification gives providers an unparalleled advantage when it comes to preparing mothers for labor and delivery, while also being able to help them if complications arise.”

St. Francis Women’s Hospital faced an on-site review last year to assess its perinatal care abilities and compliance with certification criteria. That included identifying high-risk pregnancies and births early on, managing risks of mothers and newly born babies, and educating parents.

Aside from reducing infant mortality and complications, goals include inducing labor only when necessary, cutting down on elective deliveries unless required, working to hold down premature births, and keeping a handle on hospital costs related to complications by mothers and their infants.

St. Francis Hospital Chief Executive Officer David Koontz expressed pride in achieving the certification at the 376-bed hospital located on Manchester Expressway.

“Being the first hospital in Georgia to earn Perinatal Care Certification from The Joint Commission demonstrates our staff’s extraordinary commitment to providing the highest quality of care for mothers and newborn babies,” he said in a statement.

It was in October 2013 that St. Francis delivered its first baby at the new Women’s Hospital, which was part of a major expansion and upgrade at the hospital. It was the first scheduled birth there since 1981, the year the hospital stopped delivering babies.

St. Francis said it has lowered the number of cesarean section and elective births performed before 39 weeks of pregnancy to less than 1 percent. It was recognized last year by March of Dimes for doing so.

This story was originally published January 3, 2017 at 1:34 PM with the headline "St. Francis receives certification for safer baby deliveries."