UF Health Shands Hospital receives top designation for maternal care

UF Health Shands Hospital has been recognized for the high level of care it provides for women through pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum care.

The Joint Commission’s Maternal Levels of Care, or MLC, Verification program, offered in collaboration with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, has designated UF Health Shands Hospital a Level IV maternal care verified facility.

Receiving the Level IV designation — the highest classification — means UF Health Shands has demonstrated its on-site medical and surgical care of the most complex maternal conditions and critically ill pregnant women and fetuses.

“We are grateful for everyone who supports maternity care at UF Health, whether in our outpatient office settings or the inpatient hospital setting,” said John C. Smulian, M.D., M.P.H., chair of the UF College of Medicine’s department of obstetrics and gynecology. “Maternity care from conception to delivery and from delivery to the postpartum continuum can be challenging and we are especially proud to receive this recognition for the exceptional care we provide at Shands Hospital for even the most complex of pregnancies.”

The MLC Verification program provides an objective assessment of a facility’s capabilities and verifies that a hospital has the expertise, equipment and resources in place for a patient’s specific needs and risk level.

“This level of care can only be provided through collaborative, extensive support from all of the aspects of the health care system that we live in,” Smulian said.

UF Health Shands’ maternity care service benefits from the other care services available through the UF Health hospital system, he said. This means pregnant women have access to comprehensive, multidisciplinary care teams that are focused on providing the best possible care during and after pregnancy. Patients not only receive top quality maternal care, but can be simultaneously treated for other conditions, including cardiac issues, neurological disease, cancer and more.

Deborah Ryan, interim executive vice president for accreditation and certification operations at The Joint Commission, said UF Health’s Level IV designation “will help UF Health Shands strengthen regionalized care for mothers and babies in its community.”