UCLA Health hospitals in Westwood and Santa Monica placed No. 1 in Los Angeles, No. 2 in California and No. 7 in the nation in the 2017–18 U.S. News and World Report rankings.
“UCLA Health is proud to be recognized for providing world-class treatment to patients from greater Los Angeles, across the state and around the globe,” said Johnese Spisso, president of UCLA Health, CEO of UCLA Hospital System and associate vice chancellor of UCLA Health Sciences. “Our long-standing commitment to excellence ensures that our patients and their families receive the most compassionate, comprehensive care possible from every member of our team.”
The annual rankings evaluate more than 4,500 medical centers nationwide in 16 medical specialties and nine relatively common procedures and conditions. The survey’s national honor roll names only 20 medical centers; UCLA Health has appeared on the honor roll for 28 consecutive years.
“Being among the best in the country requires continually striving to enhance all aspects of patient care,” said Dr. John Mazziotta, vice chancellor for UCLA Health Sciences and CEO of UCLA Health. “I commend the dedication of everyone at our hospitals, clinics and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.”
The medical specialty rankings assessed performance in 16 disciplines, recognizing hospitals that excel at treating patients who require more complex care. The methodology utilizes extensive publicly reported data such as patient outcomes, nurse staffing and hospital volume to measure quality, safety, efficiency, reputation and delivery of a wide range of care. Evaluation of 12 of the specialties was data-driven, focusing on performance in three primary dimensions of health care: structure, reputation and outcomes. The remaining four specialties were evaluated on hospital reputation only, determined by a survey of specialists.
UCLA received top 10 rankings in eight specialties: ear, nose and throat (2); geriatrics (4); urology (4); ophthalmology at the UCLA Stein and Doheny Eye Institutes (5); nephrology (6); rheumatology (6); psychiatry at the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA (8) and pulmonology (10).
Only about 3 percent of 4,500 evaluated hospitals were ranked in even at least one specialty.
The nine relatively common procedures evaluated were: abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, aortic valve surgery, care for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, colon cancer surgery, care for congestive heart failure, heart bypass surgery, hip replacement, knee replacement and lung cancer surgery.
“The top 20 hospitals that were highlighted on this year’s honor roll have delivered outstanding care and offer deep expertise spanning multiple specialties,” Ben Harder, chief of health analysis at U.S. News, said in a statement.
UCLA Health includes four hospitals on two campuses — Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center; UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica; UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital; and Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA — and more than 160 primary and specialty care offices throughout Southern California. It also includes the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
