If you're a first-time mom, your chances of having a Caesarean section could vary dramatically depending on which medical clinic you choose.
A survey of Minnesota clinics found that C-section rates varied from as little as 3 percent of births to more than 50 percent across the state last year. The state average was 26 percent for first-time mothers, according to the report by MN Community Measurement.
"We can't explain all of the differences," said Jim Chase, president of the organization, which compiles an annual report comparing Minnesota medical clinics on various health measures. "What's important is to see that there is quite a variation."
The 2012 report, released Tuesday, spotlights a growing concern in the medical field: why C-section rates have climbed to a third of all births nationwide. In Minnesota, the number jumped from 17 percent of births in 1996 to 26 percent in 2007, the last year data were reported.
The report did not track whether the C-sections were medically necessary. But Chase said the wide variation should prompt discussion among doctors and patients. "It doesn't appear to be solely driven by medical necessity," he said.
This year, for the first time, hundreds of clinics reported their C-section rates, along with data on more than a dozen other medical conditions, for Minnesota's annual Health Care Quality Report.
It found that Hennepin County Medical Center's Brooklyn Park clinic had the lowest C-section rate in the state, at 3 percent. Two other clinics had C-section rates under 10 percent: Fairview Andover and Oakdale Ob/Gyn.
At the other end of the spectrum, two clinics reported rates of more than 50 percent: Chippewa County Montevideo Hospital and Fairview Princeton Clinic.