UC San Diego Medical Center, Rady Children’s Hospital and the Scripps La Jolla Hospital and clinics were named the top health-care facilities in the region in the annual U.S. News & World Report “Best Hospitals” issue that came out Tuesday.
The UCSD Medical Center, in Hillcrest, was ranked first in the San Diego area and fifth in the state by the magazine.
The 582-bed hospital was nationally ranked in 11 specialties, including sixth in pulmonology and 15th in nephrology. Other top areas were cancer; cardiology and heart surgery; diabetes and endocrinology; ear, nose and throat; gastroenterology and GI surgery; geriatrics, neurology and neurosurgery; orthopedics; and urology.
“These rankings are a reaffirmation of our standing as the top health system locally and one of the premier, high performing health systems nationally,” said Paul Viviano, CEO of UC San Diego Health System in a news release. “… Our goal, first and foremost, is to provide unrivalled care that is personalized to the needs of each and every patient.”
The 377-bed Rady Children’s Hospital was nationally ranked in cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology and GI surgery, neonatology, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology and urology.
Scripps, evaluated as a combination between Scripps Memorial and Scripps Green hospitals, was nationally ranked in cardiology and heart surgery; diabetes and endocrinology; ear, nose and throat; gastroenterology and GI surgery; geriatrics; gynecology; orthopedics and pulmonology.
“Scripps continues to improve our standing among the best in the nation,” said Chris Van Gorder, Scripps Health president and CEO. “We are especially proud to be recognized for the tenth year in heart care and to move up the list from No. 20 to No. 18, especially with the opening of our Prebys Cardiovascular Institute less than seven months away.”
Scripps Mercy Hospital was the only other local medical center to be nationally ranked in a specialty – 48th in diabetes and endocrinology.
The Mayo Clinic of Rochester, Minn., was honored as the nation’s top hospital for the first time. Massachusetts General Hospital was second and Johns Hopkins of Baltimore was third.
The top hospital in California was the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, which was fifth nationally.
The magazine ranks the hospitals every year by using criteria like death rates in challenging cases, patient safety and reputation among physicians.
– City News Service