U.S. News & World Report Names all of Ascension Wisconsin’s Maternity Hospitals as High Performing for Maternity Care

All four of U.S. Ascension Wisconsin's maternity hospitals have been recognized as 2026 High Performing hospitals for Maternity Careby News & World Report, the global authority in hospital rankings and consumer advice. This is the highest award a hospital can earn as part of U.S. News' Best Hospitals for Maternity Care annual study, which evaluated 900 hospitals from across the United States. The following Ascension Wisconsin facilities earned the High Performing designation:

• Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Hospital (Milwaukee Campus)
• Ascension St. Joseph Hospital (Milwaukee)
• Ascension St. Elizabeth Hospital (Appleton)
• Ascension All Saints Hospital (Racine)

Making a confident choice

"This recognition is just one more reason expectant parents who choose an Ascension Wisconsin hospital to deliver their baby can be confident they've made the right choice for their growing family," said Dr. Steven Bush, OB/GYN and medical director of women's health at Ascension Wisconsin. "Ascension Wisconsin offers specialized services like Level III NICUs and OB emergency departments, plus a variety of parenting and childbirth education classes that support families with key infant care needs, including resources on safe sleep, breastfeeding, postpartum mental health and more."

Quality care

The U.S. News Best Hospitals for Maternity Care methodology is based entirely on objective measures of quality. Measures include C-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.

"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."

The Ascension Wisconsin care teams work closely together with expectant families to provide specialized care before, during and after deliveries. Our commitment to providing exceptional care for high-risk pregnancies is demonstrated by treating many premature babies born as early as 21 weeks in our strong NICUs. Expecting families can expect advanced care, exceptional specialists and compassionate service from their Ascension Wisconsin maternity teams.

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 meets their family's needs.

Learn more about Ascension Wisconsin maternity care.