Press Release
By Baptist Health
4/17/25
| Four hospitals earned The Joint Commission Maternal Levels of Care Verification, confirming they have the right experts, resources and care in place to support moms and babies. Jacksonville, Fla., April 17, 2025 – Baptist Medical Center Beaches, Baptist Medical Center Clay, Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville and Baptist Medical Center South recently received The Joint Commission’s Maternal Levels of Care (MLC) Verification. The verification is designed to help ensure patients are matched with the right care in the right place at the right time based on their unique newborn and maternal health needs.“ This designation demonstrates that we are committed to ensuring every mother and baby receives care tailored to their unique needs, from routine deliveries to complex cases,” said Kathryn Villano, MD, maternal and fetal medicine specialist with Regional Obstetric Consultants who practices at Baptist Health. “For our community, it means knowing that exceptional, evidence-based care is available close to home, improving outcomes for families and strengthening overall maternal health.” Baptist Health is an integrated system of care with the ability to care for the full spectrum of maternal health needs: Baptist Beaches received the Level I designation, meaning the hospital and its staff are prepared to care for mothers with low to moderate-risk pregnancies and have the ability to detect and manage unexpected maternal-fetal or neonatal problems until a patient is transferred for a higher level of care. Baptist Clay received the Specialty Care (Level II) designation, covering all the Level I requirements, with the ability to care for moderate to high-risk antepartum, intrapartum and postpartum conditions. Baptist South received the Subspeciality Care (Level III) designation, covering all Level I and Level II requirements, plus care for more complex maternal medical conditions, obstetric complications and fetal conditions. Baptist Jacksonville received the Regional Perinatal Health Care Center (Level IV) designation, the highest verification, demonstrating all Level I to Level III requirements, plus multidisciplinary medical and surgical care for the most complex maternal conditions and critically ill pregnant women and fetuses throughout antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum care. Having a system like Baptist Health with different levels of maternal care across hospitals is essential for making sure moms and babies get the right care at the right time. With this structured approach, moms with low-risk pregnancies can safely deliver at hospitals designed for routine maternity care, while those with more complex medical needs have access to hospitals equipped with advanced specialists, technology and resources. If a higher level of care is needed, hospitals can quickly coordinate transfers to ensure moms and babies receive specialized treatment without delay.“ This approach ensures every mom has access to care that is right for her and baby,” said Tammy Daniel, DNP, MA, RN, executive vice president and chief nursing officer at Baptist Health. “If a pregnancy is low-risk, moms can deliver close to home with the support they need. But if complications arise, we have a seamless process to connect them with advanced care. It’s all about keeping moms and babies safe while making the best use of health system resources. Most importantly, it demonstrates our commitment to supporting all pregnancies and births in our community.” The MLC Verification process involves a comprehensive on-site review from The Joint Commission to verify the level of care provided at each hospital. All reviewers are obstetric providers, such as OB nurses, midwives or clinicians. The verification program was developed using the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)’s Levels of Maternal Care and Obstetric Care Consensus document and ultimately aims to make childbirth a safer experience for mothers and babies. Physicians providing care at Baptist Health hospitals are not employees or agents of the hospital. Dr. Kathryn Villano is employed by Regional Obstetric Consultants. About Baptist Health Based in Jacksonville, Florida, Baptist Health is a community-based health system focused on making health care easier to access while working to improve health and well-being. As the area’s only locally governed, faith-based, not-for-profit health system, Baptist Health delivers a full spectrum of preventive and specialty care through its 200+ ambulatory locations, six acute care hospitals, home health and virtual care offerings. Through its comprehensive approach to whole-person health for children and adults, Baptist Health provides the area’s largest network of primary care, urgent care and behavioral health care, as well as many specialty services and several wellness centers. Destination centers of excellence include Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center, Baptist Heart Hospital, Baptist Neurological Institute, and Wolfson Children’s Hospital, the only full-service children’s hospital serving the region. To help people get the care they need when and where they need it, the health system leverages digital technology to enhance the delivery of its high-quality, seamless, patient-centered care. Baptist Health is vital to the community, caring for more patients in Northeast Florida than any other provider and has been consistently ranked as “most preferred” for more than 30 years. To learn more, visit BaptistJax.com. |
