Three Southern California hospitals — UCLA Health, UCI Health and Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian — received high marks Tuesday in the annual rankings issued by U.S. News & World Report, which judged them to be among America’s best hospitals.
The rankings recognize hospitals that excel in treating the most challenging patients and conditions. For the 2020-21 rankings and ratings, U.S. News evaluated more than 4,500 medical centers nationwide in 25 specialties, procedures and conditions.
UCLA Health hospitals in Westwood and Santa Monica placed No. 1 in both Los Angeles and California and No. 4 nationally in the annual rankings.
Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach was the highest ranked hospital in Orange County, the fourth-best hospital in the Los Angeles metro area and eighth-best in California. It was also recognized for high performance in 13 specialty procedures.
UCI Medical Center is ranked No. 5 in the Los Angeles metropolitan region. This year’s findings also highlight the excellence of UCI Health programs nationally in gynecology at No. 16; urology at No. 24; nephrology at No. 43; and geriatrics at No. 45 among similar programs nationally.
UCLA Health comprises four hospitals on two campuses — Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital and the UCLA Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital on the university’s main campus in Westwood, and UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica, plus more than 200 medical practices throughout Southern California. It also includes the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
“Every day, I am inspired by the teamwork of our physicians, nurses, health care professionals and support staff whose knowledge, skill, dedication and compassion make possible the excellence in health care,” said Johnese Spisso, president of UCLA Health and CEO of the UCLA Hospital System. “I am incredibly proud of the work that our team members do each and every day to make a difference in the lives of patients and their families.”
Hoag’s rankings included national recognition for specialty services, including No. 27 in neurology and neurosurgery, No. 29 in diabetes and endocrinology, No. 33 in pulmonology and lung surgery, No. 35 in orthopedics, No. 37 in gynecology, No. 38 in gastroenterology and GI surgery and No. 40 in geriatrics.
“We have been humbled each year that we have receive this prestigious national recognition, but this year feels particularly special,” said Robert T. Braithwaite, Hoag president and CEO. “We are proud of the excellence we have been able to deliver in the face of a global pandemic. This recognition is a tribute to Hoag’s commitment to delivering the highest quality, patient-centered care to the Orange County community — no matter what the obstacle. We are so grateful for the dedication of our employees, medical staff, volunteers, and our board, who demonstrate the compassion and courage to provide unsurpassed personalized care.”
In addition to nationally ranked departments, UCI Health programs in cancer, GI & GI surgery, neurology & neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology & lung surgery are rated as high performing.
UCI Health also achieved the highest rating possible in five common adult procedures and conditions identified by U.S. News:
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm repair
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Colon cancer surgery
- Heart failure
- Lung cancer surgery
“This 20th consecutive recognition as one of America’s Best Hospitals is a testament to the excellence of our physicians, nurses, therapists and support staff and reflects the best of academic medicine,” said Chad T. Lefteris, CEO at UCI Health System. “UCI Health is Orange County’s indispensable health care resource and plays a critical, unduplicated role in improving the health and well-being of our region.”
Added Dr. Michael Stamos, the dean of the UC Irvine School of Medicine: “These programs excel at not only providing leading acute care for complex health challenges, but they are also uniquely qualified to provide the diagnostic and preventative care that has become so necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
UCLA Health, meanwhile, earned top 10 rankings in 13 specialties, up from 12 last year:
- No. 3 in geriatrics
- No. 3 in nephrology
- No. 4 in diabetes and endocrinology
- No. 5 in gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery
- No. 5 in ophthalmology
- No. 5 in pulmonology and lung surgery
- No. 7 in cardiology and heart surgery
- No. 7 in orthopedics
- No. 7 in psychiatry
- No. 8 in ear, nose and throat
- No. 8 in neurology and neurosurgery
- No. 8 in urology
- No. 9 in rheumatology
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