In 2015, there would be less news of New Year Babies as hospitals chose to skew the old tradition of announcing first baby of the year to favor the safety and privacy of the patients. 

It will be entirely in the hands of the hospitals to take the decision. Community Health Systems, one of the largest healthcare operators in the United States, ordered 207 of its facilities to stop publicizing the first baby for the New Year. The company referred to probable identity theft and abductions as the reasons for issuing the order. Other hospitals have either provided limited information to the media or completely stopped complying with the tradition of announcing New Year Babies.

Spokesperson for Community Health Systems, Tomi Galin said the company realizes the birth of the first baby of the year is indeed joyous, exciting event, however, patient privacy as well as safety is Community Health's most important priority. Galin also pointed to guidance released by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children that healthcare providers receive express consent from parents before they relay any information about a New Year baby besides, eliminating home addresses and other obvious information that can facilitate to identify the baby and the family from birth announcements.

Still, Robert Lowery, missing children division head from the center, said that the tradition of announcing New Year Babies is rather low-risk. Although hospitals have never been ordered to refrain from making New Year baby announcement, caution must still be practiced at all times.

Galin restated that Community Health Systems choice to stop announcing New Year babies is a precautionary measure and has nothing to do with abduction attempts or other threats in the past. On the contrary, the decision comes after some of the company's hospitals had already stopped announcing New Year babies.

Despite the order, the company's hospital will inform parents if their little bundle of joy is a New Year baby. Parents have a choice to contact the media if they want to, however, reporters and photographers must not get close to the maternity wards.

Following a slew of abductions 10 years back, Healthcare accreditation organization The Joint Commission had started suggesting that hospitals cease the practice of New Year birth announcement. However, it was not necessary to completely eliminate the tradition.