UC San Diego Health System named recipient of Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence

UC San Diego Health System is a recipient of Healthgrades' "Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence." Top performing hospitals were selected based on clinical excellence across a broad spectrum of care in specialty areas such as cardiac and neuro surgery and gastrointestinal, pulmonary and critical care.

"We are honored to be among the top 5 percent of hospitals in the U.S. that demonstrate health system wide, demonstrably superior, clinical quality outcomes," said Paul Viviano, CEO, UC San Diego Health System. "As the only academic health system in San Diego County, we are devoted to offering unparalleled quality of care and exceptional clinical results based on a philosophy that combines world-class clinical expertise in a patient-centric environment."

To be eligible for the award, a hospital had to show superior performance in caring for patients in the Medicare population, as measured across at least 21 of 30 of the most common inpatient conditions and procedures with objective clinical outcomes (risk-adjusted mortality and in-hospital complications). During the 2014 study period (2010 to 2012), Healthgrades evaluated Medicare inpatient data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) file.

UC San Diego Health System is dedicated to clinical excellence and comprehensive high-quality care. Recent clinical achievements include being ranked #1 in the San Diego metropolitan area for the third consecutive year in 2013 and #5 in California, according to U.S. News & World Report's 24th annual "America's Best Hospitals" issue.

UC San Diego Health System was also named one of the nation's 100 Top Hospitals for the second time by Truven Health Analytics. In 2012, UC San Diego Medical Center became one of the first Comprehensive Stroke Centers in the nation. UC San Diego Health System has also consistently received an "A" rating from The Leapfrog Group's Hospital Safety Score™. The Leapfrog Group uses publicly available data on patient injuries, medical errors and infections to letter grade the safety performance of more than 2,600 hospitals nationwide.

In 2016, UC San Diego Health System will open Jacobs Medical Center, the largest new hospital project in southern California. The 10-story, 509,500-square-foot expansion of UC San Diego Health System's La Jolla campus will offer three specialty hospitals including a Hospital for Cancer Care, Hospital for Advanced Surgery and a Hospital for Women and Infants. When completed, this new facility will help UC San Diego Health System meet the needs of its local, national and global communities, and offer leading-edge treatments, world-class physicians and quality patient care.