UCI Health recognized among top academic medical centers for high-quality care
UCI Medical Center receives 5-star ranking for 'demonstrating excellence'
October 12, 2021
UCI Health has been recognized as a five-star hospital and top performer in the 2021 Bernard A. Birnbaum, MD, Quality Leadership Annual Ranking by Vizient Inc. UCI Medical Center was ranked No. 9 out of 101 Vizient members in the cohort of “Comprehensive Academic Medical Centers” for demonstrating excellence in delivering high-quality patient care based on the organization's Quality and Accountability Ranking.
“A daily commitment to providing our patients with the safest environment and highest quality of care is the top priority for UCI Health,” said Dr. Joseph C. Carmichael, interim chief medical officer for UCI Health. “The annual Vizient Quality and Accountability Scorecard is the gold standard academic medical centers use to measure their progress toward this goal.”
This year, 565 participating hospitals were segmented into four cohorts, including comprehensive academic medical centers, for the Vizient Quality and Accountability Ranking. The ranking measured performance on the quality of patient care in five domains: safety, mortality, effectiveness, efficiency and patient centeredness.
This review factors in measures from Vizient's clinical data base and includes performance in core measures data, the HCAHPS survey and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Healthcare Safety Network. The ranking has been conducted annually since 2005.
“UCI Health plays a unique and critical role in Orange County,” said Chad T. Lefteris, CEO of UCI Health. “As the area’s only health system powered by a world-class research university, UCI Health delivers leading-edge patient care rooted in the most current evidence-based medicine, scientific discovery and clinical innovation.”
“We are proud that the work of our amazing UCI Health clinicians and co-workers is recognized among the country’s top 10 comprehensive academic medical centers,” he said.
Achieving the highest standards of patient safety and quality is embedded in a system that provides the region’s most complex care and includes Orange County’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, Level 1 adult trauma center, regional burn center, digestive health institute and a growing primary care system, Lefteris said.
In recent years, UCI Medical Center has consistently been recognized for quality and safety in The Leapfrog Group’s biannual Hospital Safety Grade and the American College of Surgeon’s National Surgical Quality Improvement Program, which recognizes hospitals that have achieved excellent surgical patient care outcomes. Last year, UCI Health was among just 88 U.S. hospitals to achieve this designation for outcomes in all surgical cases and in high-risk surgical cases.
The Vizient Quality and Accountability Ranking helps participating hospitals and health systems understand their performance against their peers and identifies structures and processes associated with high performance in quality and safety across a broad spectrum of patient-care activity. The recognition is for the period spanning July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021.
“As hospitals and healthcare systems continue to provide patient care during these unprecedented times, it’s important to recognize their accomplishments,” said David Levine, Vizient’s senior vice president for analytics and data science. “This year, all Vizient member accomplishments will be celebrated in November at the Vizient Connections Education Summit.”
UCI Health is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine, and the only academic health system in Orange County. Patients can access UCI Health at primary and specialty care offices across Orange County and at its main campus, UCI Medical Center in Orange, Calif. The 459-bed, acute care hospital, listed among America’s Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report for 21 consecutive years, provides tertiary and quaternary care, ambulatory and specialty medical clinics, behavioral health and rehabilitation services. UCI Medical Center is home to Orange County’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center and regional burn center. UCI Health serves a region of nearly 4 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, 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 $5 billion annually to the local economy. For more on UCI, visit www.uci.edu.
