Cesarean delivery is the most common major surgical procedure performed in Florida hospitals.
Because cesarean deliveries are sometimes performed without medical justification, adding unnecessary risk and expense to labor and delivery, the Agency hopes to educate the public and practitioners to the differences in delivery practices. The birth of a child is a rewarding time of life. South Florida hospitals were more likely to experience larger differences in their observed to expected cesarean rates. Reasons for regional variation will be the subject of a future AHCA study. For the first time since 1990, the average postpartum length of stay did not decrease.