“That’s why national guidelines since 2006 have called for limiting the procedure to emergencies, such as when a baby’s shoulders get stuck. Although there is no national consensus on how frequently the procedure should be used, a leading hospital safety group recommends that the cuts should occur in no more than 5% of vaginal deliveries.
“But a USA TODAY analysis of hospital billing data finds dozens of hospitals in eight states with episiotomy rates of 20% or higher, some of them nearly double that.”
from Agape Birth Doula Services http://bit.ly/2I5gPpx