Mount Auburn Hospital Named Among U.S. News & World Report’s Fifth Annual 2026 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care

Top Performing Hospital for Labor and Delivery

Cambridge MA − U.S. News & World Report has named Mount Auburn Hospital as a 2026 High Performing hospital 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, now in its fifth edition.

“Welcoming a new life into the world is one of the greatest responsibilities a hospital has and we are proud to be recognized for our deep commitment to the families we serve,” said Ed Huang, MD, president, Mount Auburn Hospital. “This recognition affirms our dedication to provide exceptional maternity care to residents of Cambridge and surrounding communities and supporting families through one of life’s most important moments.”

Mount Auburn Hospital earned a High Performing designation in recognition of maternity care as measured by factors such as C-section rates in lower-risk pregnancies, severe unexpected newborn complication rates, exclusive breast milk feeding rates, and birthing-friendly practices, among other measures.

“I am incredibly proud of our team for earning this recognition. It represents our unwavering commitment to supporting families through every step of the childbirth journey,” said Brett Young, MD, chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology. “Our physicians, nurses, midwives, and staff work together to ensure every parent and baby receives the highest level of care.”

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. For the 2026 edition, approximately 900 hospitals nationwide submitted maternity data for evaluation. Best Hospitals for Maternity Care ratings are intended to assist expectant parents, in consultation with their prenatal care providers, in making informed decisions about where to receive maternity services that best meet their family’s needs.

“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, PhD, 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.”

About Mount Auburn Hospital

Mount Auburn Hospital was founded in 1886. A teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, its mission is to provide clinically excellent care with compassion and to teach students of medicine and the health professions.

Mount Auburn Hospital is a part of Beth Israel Lahey Health, a healthcare system that brings together academic medical centers and teaching hospitals, community and specialty hospitals, more than 4,700 physicians and 39,000 employees in a shared mission to expand access to great care and advance the science and practice of medicine through groundbreaking research and education.