A promising decline in early elective deliveries. Early elective deliveries, such as cesarean sections performed for the sake of convenience before 39 weeks of pregnancy, lead to longer hospital stays-including stays in neonatal ICUs-and higher costs to patients and payers. But the number of such deliveries has declined sharply, from 17% in 2010 to 4.6% in 2013, reports the Leapfrog Group. Elective deliveries dropped for the third consecutive year and for the first time hit the target rate of less than 5%. Of the 969 hospitals that participated in the group's 2013 survey, 71% met that target, compared with 46% of those surveyed in 2012. See the Hospital Safety Scores at http://www.leapfroggroup.org/cp.