UC Irvine Medical Center again listed among America's Best Hospitals

July 21, 2015
MedicalCenterExt320p

For the 15th consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report has recognized UCI Medical Center as one of “America’s Best Hospitals.” The annual rankings recognize hospitals that excel in treating the most challenging patients and this year includes two UCI Health specialties among the top 50 nationally: 39th for ear, nose and throat and 43rd for geriatrics.

“This recognition is a wonderful reflection of the excellence of our medical faculty, nurses and staff and of the daily commitment the entire UCI Health team brings to our patients,” said Howard J. Federoff, MD, PhD, vice chancellor for Health Affairs and dean of the UCI School of Medicine. “It is a privilege to provide Orange County with world-class treatment of serious and complex cases.”

UCI Medical Center is the only Orange County hospital consistently rated among America’s best by U.S. News. It is ranked No. 11 in California and No. 5 in the Los Angeles metropolitan region. Since 2001, the magazine has listed UCI Health programs in urology, gynecology, geriatrics, cancer, digestive disorders, nephrology, and ear, nose & throat among the top 50 nationwide.

In addition to its 2015-16 nationally ranked specialties, UCI Health programs in cancer, gastroenterology & GI surgery, nephrology, neurology & neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology and in urology as high performing in the Los Angeles region.

“A Best Hospital has demonstrated expertise in treating the most challenging patients,” said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis at U.S. News. “A hospital that emerged from our analysis as one of the best has much to be proud of.”

For 2015-16, U.S. News evaluated hospitals in 16 adult specialties and ranked the top 50 in most of the specialties. Less than 3 percent of the nearly 5,000 hospitals that were analyzed for Best Hospitals 2015-16 were nationally ranked in even one specialty.

The specialty rankings and data were produced for U.S. News by RTI International, a leading research organization based in Research Triangle Park, N.C. U.S. News used the same data, as well as the new Best Hospitals for Common Care ratings, first published in May, to produce the state and metro rankings.

The rankings are available at http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals and will appear in the U.S. News “Best Hospitals 2016” guidebook, available in August.

UCI Health comprises the clinical, medical education and research enterprises of the University of California, Irvine. Patients can access UCI Health at physician offices throughout Orange County and at its main campus, UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange, Calif., a 411-bed acute care hospital that provides tertiary and quaternary care, ambulatory and specialty medical clinics, behavioral health and rehabilitation. U.S. News & World Report has listed it among America’s Best Hospitals for 15 consecutive years. UC Irvine Medical Center features Orange County’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program, Level I trauma center and Level II pediatric trauma center, and is the primary teaching hospital for UC Irvine School of Medicine. UCI Health serves a region of more than 3 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About the University of California, Irvine: Currently celebrating its 50th anniversary, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 30,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $4.8 billion annually to the local economy. For more on UCI, visit www.uci.edu.