AABC Member Birth Centers Recognized in ACNM’s 2023 Benchmarking Project

Twenty-nine member birth centers were recognized for their exemplary outcomes in the 2023 ACNM Benchmarking project. Each year, the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) asks midwifery practices with certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) or certified midwives (CMs) to participate in the ACNM Benchmarking Project. The purpose of this project is to gather and use data to monitor, maintain, and improve the quality of midwifery care.

Best Practices are named based on the data reported by the practice being one of the top three practices in that category. The purpose of naming “best practice” is to recognize practices that are performing well. Perhaps more importantly, it provides the opportunity to know which practices to contact to discuss how to improve performance. By networking with “best practices”, you can learn how to modify your practice processes to achieve better outcomes on quality indicators.

Practices are in categories based on practice volume by number of births per year: low ≤ 50, low moderate 50-199, high moderate 200-499, and high ≥ 500. For some volume groups, it is impossible to determine best practice for certain indicators. In the low-volume group there are many practices achieving 100% breastfeeding rates and 0% cesarean birth rates.

Labor & Birth Outcomes

Spontaneous vaginal birth rate

• BirthCare & Women’s Health – Alexandria, VA
• Family Beginnings Birth Center – Dayton, OH
• MidwifeSunday Wellness and Birth Center – Potsdam, NY
• Natural Beginnings Birth & Wellness Center – Statesville, NC
• Willow Midwives – Minneapolis, MN

 Primary cesarean rate

• BSD Birthing Center of Rockland – Monsey, NY
• Family Beginnings Birth Center – Dayton, OH
• MidwifeSunday Wellness and Birth Center – Potsdam, NY

Rate of Cesarean Birth among nulliparous women with a term, singleton baby in a vertex position (NTSV)

• Holy Family Birth Center – Fort Wayne, IN

Rate of postpartum hemorrhage

• MidwifeSunday Wellness and Birth Center – Potsdam, NY
• The Coit House – Buffalo, NY

Perineal Outcomes

Rate of women with intact perineum (perineum is intact or only small laceration(s) not requiring repair)

• MidwifeSunday Wellness and Birth Center – Potsdam, NY
• Natural Beginnings Birth & Wellness Center – Statesville, NC
• Serenity Birth Center – Las Vegas, NV

 3^rd or 4^th degree laceration rate

• Natural Beginnings Birth & Wellness Center – Statesville, NC

Infant Outcomes

Preterm birth rate (infants from a singleton birth born at less than 37 weeks gestation)

• Family Beginnings Birth Center – Dayton, OH
• Natural Beginnings Birth & Wellness Center – Statesville, NC

Rate of low birth weight (infants from a singleton birth born weighing less than 2500 grams)

• Family Beginnings Birth Center – Dayton, OH
• Natural Beginnings Birth & Wellness Center – Statesville, NC
• The Birth Center – Holistic Women’s Health Care – Newark, DE

Rate of NICU Admissions of infants born from a singleton birth (any admission to a level 2 or level 3 nursery for any length of time)

• Best Start Birth Center – San Diego – CA
• Mat-Su Midwifery and Family Health – Wasilla, AK
• Natural Beginnings Birth & Wellness Center – Statesville, NC
• Seven Sisters Midwifery and Community Birth Center – Florence, MA

 Exclusive breastfeeding rate first 48 hours

• Birth Center of Chicago – Chicago, IL
• BirthCare & Women’s Health – Alexandria, VA
• Family Beginnings Birth Center – Dayton, OH
• Natural Beginnings Birth & Wellness Center – Statesville, NC
• The Midwife Center for Birth and Women’s Health – Pittsburgh, PA

Postpartum Outcomes

Rate of women who attended their 6-week postpartum visit

• Birth Center of Chicago – Chicago, IL
• Midtown Nurse Midwives – Sacramento, CA
• Natural Beginnings Birth & Wellness Center – Statesville, NC
• The Midwife Center for Birth and Women’s Health – Pittsburgh, PA
• Twin Cities Birth Center – Saint Paul, MN

Rate of women breastfeeding at their 6-week postpartum visit

• BSD Birthing Center of Rockland – Monsey, NY
• Minnesota Birth Center – Minneapolis, MN
• Natural Beginnings Birth and Wellness – Statesville, NC
• The Midwife Center for Birth and Women’s Health – Pittsburgh, PA

Resource Utilization Outcomes

Rate of inductions

• Birth Center of Denver at Saint Joseph Hospital – Denver, CO
• Family Beginnings Birth Center – Dayton, OH
• MidwifeSunday Wellness and Birth Center – Potsdam, NY
• Natural Beginnings Birth and Wellness – Statesville, NC
• The Birth Center – Holistic Women’s Health Care – Newark, DE
• Willow Midwives – Minneapolis, MN

Rate of epidurals used for pain relief during labor (not including epidurals placed only for anesthesia for operative delivery)

• Connecticut Childbirth & Women’s Center – Danbury, CT
• MidwifeSunday Wellness and Birth Center – Potsdam, NY
• Willow Midwives – Minneapolis, MN

“Triple Aim” Best Practice

• Primary cesarean birth rate < 23.9%
• Preterm birth rate < 11.4%
• Exclusive breastfeeding first 48 hours > 81%
• Reporting fiscal outcomes

“Triple Aim” Best Practice recognizes practices that meet the Institute for Healthcare Improvement “Triple Aim” of improving the patient experience, reducing the cost of care, and improving the health of populations. This is demonstrated by high breastfeeding rates, low preterm birth and cesarean rates, and reporting fiscal variables.

Of the 170 practices participating in the 2023 ACNM Benchmarking Project, 39 practices were designated Triple Aim Best Practices. Nearly half of the 39 practices are AABC members.

1. Best Start Birth Center – San Diego, CA*
2. Birth Center of Baton Rouge – Baton Rouge, LA*
3. Birth Center of Chicago – Chicago, IL*
4. Birth Center of Denver at Saint Joseph Hospital – Denver, CO*
5. Burr Ridge Birth Center – Burr Ridge, IL*
6. Holy Family Birth Center – Fort Wayne, IN*
7. Mat-Su Midwifery and Family Health – Wasilla, AK
8. Midtown Nurse Midwives – Sacramento, CA*
9. MidwifeSunday Wellness and Birth Center – Potsdam, NY*
10. Minnesota Birth Center – Minneapolis, MN*
11. Natural Beginnings Birth and Wellness – Statesville, NC*
12. Reading Midwife Center for Women’s Wellness, LLC – Reading, PA
13. Serenity Birth Center – Las Vegas, NV*
14. Seven Sisters Midwifery and Community Birth Center – Florence, MA
15. The Midwife Center for Birth and Women’s Health – Pittsburgh, PA*
16. Tree of Life Family Birth Center – Jeffersonville, IN*
17. Twin Cities Birth Center – Saint Paul, MN*
18. Wichita Falls Birth and Wellness Center – Wichita Falls, TX

*Earned designation for consecutive years

“4 Core” Best Practice – Four Core Perinatal Measures

• Induction of labor <10%
• Primary cesarean birth rate <15%
• Episiotomy <2%
• Exclusive breastfeeding after first 48 hours >75%

These four measures are harmonized with the National Quality Forum (NQF) and Joint Commission perinatal quality measures. The “4 Core” designation has been designed to acknowledge practices achieving nationally established benchmarks for physiologic birth.

Of the 170 practices participating in the 2023 ACNM Benchmarking project, there are 24 practices that achieved all four benchmarks, 18 of which are AABC members.

1. Best Start Birth Center - San Diego, CA
2. Birth Center of Baton Rouge - Baton Rouge, LA*
3. Birth Center of Chicago – Chicago, IL*
4. Birth Center of Denver at Saint Joseph Hospital – Denver, CO*
5. Blessed Beginnings Care Center – Nappanee, IN
6. Burr Ridge Birth Center – Burr Ridge, IL*
7. Family Beginnings Birth Center – Dayton, OH
8. Holy Family Birth Center – Fort Wayne, IN  
9. Manor Birth Sanctuary – Manor, TX
10. Midtown Nurse Midwives – Sacramento, CA*
11. MidwifeSunday Wellness and Birth Center – Potsdam, NY*
12. Natural Beginnings Birth and Wellness – Statesville, NC
13. Sacred Roots Birth and Wellness Center – Indianapolis, IN
14. Serenity Birth Center – Las Vegas, NV*
15. The Coit House – Buffalo, NY*
16. Twin Cities Birth Center – Saint Paul, MN
17. Wichita Falls Birth and Wellness Center – Wichita Falls, TX
18. Willow Midwives – Minneapolis, MN

*Earned designation for consecutive years

For a decade, AABC has collaborated with the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) to bring more data-driven information to birth centers to help childbearing people and babies. For AABC members entering their data in the AABC Perinatal Data Registry™ (PDR), a simple consent form sent to PDR-contributing practices at the beginning of each year is all that is needed to share their PDR data with the ACNM Benchmarking Project.