Where to Give Birth in Kentucky (2026): Hospitals Compared with CMS Data
Data as of 2026-08-13 (CMS hospital data); 09/30/2025 (patient-experience survey end date). Hospital quality & Birthing-Friendly data: CMS Care Compare, released 2026-08-13. Patient-experience data (HCAHPS): CMS, survey period 10/01/2024–09/30/2025. This page does not update automatically — see “How we built this page” below for the refresh cadence.
Medical disclaimer. This page compares publicly reported federal data. It is not medical advice and is not a recommendation of any hospital, provider, or birth plan. CMS does not currently publish a hospital-level cesarean-delivery rate or severe-maternal-complication rate, so this page cannot show either — no other source on this page fills that gap. Talk to your OB, midwife, or family doctor about which hospital is right for a specific pregnancy, especially a high-risk one, and ask directly about the hospital’s neonatal/NICU level of care.
Kentucky has 55 hospitals that provide labor and delivery care, spread across 50 cities. This page compares them on two things: whether CMS has designated the hospital Birthing-Friendly, and the hospital’s overall CMS star rating. Thirty-three hospitals in Kentucky were excluded from this comparison because CMS’s current data marks them as not providing inpatient labor and delivery care.
55
Hospitals providing labor & delivery
42
Birthing-Friendly designated (76.4%)
46
Have a published CMS star rating (83.6%)
9
Not rated by CMS
33 hospitals on Kentucky’s general acute-care/critical-access hospital list were excluded because CMS’s current data marks them as not providing inpatient labor & delivery care.
Every hospital in Kentucky that provides labor & delivery care
| Hospital | Location | CMS Overall Rating | Birthing-Friendly | Maternal safety bundle adopted | Patient experience (HCAHPS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baptist Health Lagrange | La Grange, Oldham County | ★★★★★ 5/5 | Yes | Yes | 4/5 stars · 80% would definitely recommend |
| Spring View Hospital | Lebanon, Marion County | ★★★★★ 5/5 | Yes | Yes | 4/5 stars · 70% would definitely recommend |
| St Elizabeth Edgewood | Edgewood, Kenton County | ★★★★★ 5/5 | Yes | Yes | 4/5 stars · 74% would definitely recommend |
| Baptist Health Lexington | Lexington, Fayette County | ★★★★☆ 4/5 | Yes | Yes | 4/5 stars · 84% would definitely recommend |
| Baptist Health Louisville | Louisville, Jefferson County | ★★★★☆ 4/5 | Yes | Yes | 4/5 stars · 77% would definitely recommend |
| Baptist Health Paducah | Paducah, Mc Cracken County | ★★★★☆ 4/5 | Yes | Yes | 4/5 stars · 80% would definitely recommend |
| Baptist Health Richmond | Richmond, Madison County | ★★★★☆ 4/5 | No | No | 4/5 stars · 79% would definitely recommend |
| Meadowview Regional Medical Center | Maysville, Mason County | ★★★★☆ 4/5 | Yes | Yes | 2/5 stars · 53% would definitely recommend |
| Saint Joseph Mount Sterling | Mount Sterling, Montgomery County | ★★★★☆ 4/5 | Yes | Yes | 4/5 stars · 72% would definitely recommend |
| University Of Kentucky Hospital | Lexington, Fayette County | ★★★★☆ 4/5 | Yes | Yes | 4/5 stars · 76% would definitely recommend |
| Adventhealthmanchester | Manchester, Clay County | ★★★☆☆ 3/5 | Yes | Yes | 4/5 stars · 75% would definitely recommend |
| Baptist Health Corbin | Corbin, Whitley County | ★★★☆☆ 3/5 | Yes | Yes | 4/5 stars · 77% would definitely recommend |
| Baptist Health Hardin | Elizabethtown, Hardin County | ★★★☆☆ 3/5 | No | No | 4/5 stars · 68% would definitely recommend |
| Chi Saint Joseph Flaget Memorial Hospital | Bardstown, Nelson County | ★★★☆☆ 3/5 | Yes | Yes | 4/5 stars · 63% would definitely recommend |
| Clark Regional Medical Center | Winchester, Clark County | ★★★☆☆ 3/5 | Yes | Yes | 3/5 stars · 69% would definitely recommend |
| Ephraim Mcdowell Regional Medical Center | Danville, Boyle County | ★★★☆☆ 3/5 | Yes | Yes | 3/5 stars · 64% would definitely recommend |
| Frankfort Regional Medical Center | Frankfort, Franklin County | ★★★☆☆ 3/5 | No | No | 2/5 stars · 55% would definitely recommend |
| Georgetown Community Hospital | Georgetown, Scott County | ★★★☆☆ 3/5 | Yes | Yes | 3/5 stars · 65% would definitely recommend |
| Harrison Memorial Hospital | Cynthiana, Harrison County | ★★★☆☆ 3/5 | Yes | Yes | 5/5 stars · 83% would definitely recommend |
| King’S Daughters’ Medical Center | Ashland, Boyd County | ★★★☆☆ 3/5 | Yes | Yes | 3/5 stars · 67% would definitely recommend |
| Mercy Health – Lourdes Hospital | Paducah, Mc Cracken County | ★★★☆☆ 3/5 | Yes | Yes | 3/5 stars · 68% would definitely recommend |
| Murray-Calloway County Hospital | Murray, Calloway County | ★★★☆☆ 3/5 | Yes | Yes | 4/5 stars · 74% would definitely recommend |
| Owensboro Health Twin Lakes Medical Center | Leitchfield, Grayson County | ★★★☆☆ 3/5 | Yes | Yes | 4/5 stars · 70% would definitely recommend |
| Saint Joseph London | London, Laurel County | ★★★☆☆ 3/5 | Yes | Yes | 4/5 stars · 74% would definitely recommend |
| T J Samson Community Hospital | Glasgow, Barren County | ★★★☆☆ 3/5 | Yes | Yes | 4/5 stars · 68% would definitely recommend |
| Uofl Health – Shelbyville Hospital | Shelbyville, Shelby County | ★★★☆☆ 3/5 | No | No | 3/5 stars · 65% would definitely recommend |
| Whitesburg Arh Hospital | Whitesburg, Letcher County | ★★★☆☆ 3/5 | Yes | Yes | 3/5 stars · 64% would definitely recommend |
| Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville | Madisonville, Hopkins County | ★★☆☆☆ 2/5 | Yes | Yes | 3/5 stars · 63% would definitely recommend |
| Deaconess Henderson Hospital | Henderson, Henderson County | ★★☆☆☆ 2/5 | Yes | Yes | 3/5 stars · 61% would definitely recommend |
| Harlan Arh Hospital | Harlan, Harlan County | ★★☆☆☆ 2/5 | Yes | Yes | 2/5 stars · 62% would definitely recommend |
| Hazard Arh Regional Medical Center | Hazard, Perry County | ★★☆☆☆ 2/5 | Yes | Yes | 2/5 stars · 57% would definitely recommend |
| Highlands Arh Regional Medical Center | Prestonsburg, Floyd County | ★★☆☆☆ 2/5 | Yes | Yes | 2/5 stars · 66% would definitely recommend |
| Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital | Somerset, Pulaski County | ★★☆☆☆ 2/5 | Yes | Yes | 2/5 stars · 55% would definitely recommend |
| Norton Hospitals, Inc | Louisville, Jefferson County | ★★☆☆☆ 2/5 | Yes | Yes | 3/5 stars · 73% would definitely recommend |
| Ohio County Hospital | Hartford, Ohio County | ★★☆☆☆ 2/5 | No | Not reported | Not reported · Not reported would definitely recommend |
| Owensboro Health Regional Hospital | Owensboro, Daviess County | ★★☆☆☆ 2/5 | Yes | Yes | 4/5 stars · 70% would definitely recommend |
| Saint Joseph East | Lexington, Fayette County | ★★☆☆☆ 2/5 | Yes | Yes | 3/5 stars · 69% would definitely recommend |
| St Claire Regional Medical Center | Morehead, Rowan County | ★★☆☆☆ 2/5 | Yes | Yes | 3/5 stars · 68% would definitely recommend |
| Taylor Regional Hospital | Campbellsville, Taylor County | ★★☆☆☆ 2/5 | Yes | Yes | 3/5 stars · 68% would definitely recommend |
| The Medical Center (Bowling Green) | Bowling Green, Warren County | ★★☆☆☆ 2/5 | Yes | Yes | 3/5 stars · 66% would definitely recommend |
| Breckinridge Memorial Hospital | Hardinsburg, Breckinridge County | ★☆☆☆☆ 1/5 | No | Not reported | Not reported · 78% would definitely recommend |
| Jackson Purchase Medical Center | Mayfield, Graves County | ★☆☆☆☆ 1/5 | Yes | Yes | 3/5 stars · 58% would definitely recommend |
| Jennie Stuart Medical Center | Hopkinsville, Christian County | ★☆☆☆☆ 1/5 | Yes | Yes | 3/5 stars · 56% would definitely recommend |
| Middlesboro Arh Hospital | Middlesboro, Bell County | ★☆☆☆☆ 1/5 | Yes | Yes | 2/5 stars · 58% would definitely recommend |
| Pikeville Medical Center | Pikeville, Pike County | ★☆☆☆☆ 1/5 | Yes | Yes | 3/5 stars · 70% would definitely recommend |
| University Of Louisville Hospital | Louisville, Jefferson County | ★☆☆☆☆ 1/5 | Yes | Yes | 3/5 stars · 67% would definitely recommend |
| Caldwell Medical Center | Princeton, Caldwell County | Not rated | No | Not reported | Not reported · Not reported would definitely recommend |
| Carroll County Memorial Hospital | Carrollton, Carroll County | Not rated | No | Not reported | Not reported · 74% would definitely recommend |
| Ephraim Mcdowell Fort Logan Hospital | Stanford, Lincoln County | Not rated | Yes | Yes | 4/5 stars · 82% would definitely recommend |
| Kentucky River Medical Center | Jackson, Breathitt County | Not rated | No | Not reported | Not reported · Not reported would definitely recommend |
| Russell County Hospital | Russell Springs, Russell County | Not rated | No | Not reported | Not reported · 88% would definitely recommend |
| The James B. Haggin Memorial Hospital | Harrodsburg, Mercer County | Not rated | Yes | Yes | Not reported · 66% would definitely recommend |
| The Medical Center At Albany | Albany, Clinton County | Not rated | No | Not reported | Not reported · Not reported would definitely recommend |
| Trigg County Hospital | Cadiz, Trigg County | Not rated | No | Not reported | Not reported · Not reported would definitely recommend |
| Wayne County Hospital | Monticello, Wayne County | Not rated | No | Not reported | Not reported · Not reported would definitely recommend |
What CMS does not tell you
CMS has not published a hospital-level cesarean-delivery rate or a severe-maternal-complication rate in its current data release, and that is true nationwide, not specific to Kentucky, so this page cannot show either number for any hospital listed. A state-level NICU or perinatal level-of-care listing is also left off this page because it could not be verified against a current, authoritative source for Kentucky.
How we built this page
This list was built by filtering CMS Hospital Type to Acute Care Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals, then excluding any hospital whose CMS Maternal Morbidity Structural Measure (SM_7) is marked “Not Applicable (does not provide inpatient labor/delivery care).”
Sources
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information and Maternal Health – Hospital datasets, data.cms.gov. File released 2026-08-13. Maternal-health measurement period: calendar year 2024.
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) patient-experience survey, data.cms.gov. Measurement period 10/01/2024–09/30/2025.
