According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, the total cesarean section (CS) rate in NC in 2016 is 29.4%. In national state rankings from highest CS rate to lowest CS rate, NC comes in at 33rd. Throughout the state, there are counties and hospitals with exceptionally low total CS rates, such as Wake Med Raleigh campus, who were highlighted by Consumer Reports in 2014 for a total CS rate of just 11.6%.
As the initiative to reduce primary CS develops, teams will be focusing on decreasing primary, low risk CS deliveries but will be following total CS rates as well. Teams who have been able to decrease their CS rates and sustain their progress will be collaborating with other teams and leading the charge towards improving maternal care in North Carolina.
