Database for Cesarean, VBAC and Episiotomy Rates in Texas
Location, location, location!
Did you know that your chance of undergoing surgical procedures during your birth can largely depend on the facility you’ve chosen?
In fact, deciding where you’ll have your baby is one of the most important decisions you can make when it comes to preparing for Your Best Birth.
There are three key data points that speak to a facility’s labor and delivery practices: the rate of primary cesarean, the episiotomy rate and the vaginal birth after cesarean, or VBAC, rate.
Historically, this information has been difficult to come by (though it is for sale by the Texas Department of State Health Services).
The cost of the data used, in case you were wondering, would have been $8,500 for in-state media and $17,000 out-of-state media.
Luckily for us, Christian McDonald, an assistant professor at the School of Journalism at UT Austin, was able to access said data for free as a faculty member of a state organization. Along with the amazing team down at the San Antonio Express-News, they worked to analyze hospital billing data and compiled a searchable database for all hospitals in the state of Texas. Check it out using the link below.