For the 18th consecutive year, the UCLA Medical Center was ranked as one of the top hospitals in the nation and the best hospital in the western United States by U.S. News and World Report.
The rankings, revealed Friday, are based on a variety of factors, consisting of reputation, mortality rate and other care-related factors.
Out of 5,462 medical centers that were screened this year, rankings were compiled for 16 medical specialties, like cancer, psychiatry and neurology. While 173 hospitals made it into the rankings, only 18 qualified for the honor roll, a list of the hospitals that excelled in at least six of the specialties.
Ranked in the top 20 for 15 out of the 16 specialties, UCLA Medical Center was among the top three hospitals along with John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
To be ranked as one of the top hospitals requires both breadth and depth in a variety of areas, said Amir Rubin, the chief operating officer of the UCLA Medical Center.
“Not only do you need to be strong in a number of criteria but you have to be strong in a large number of areas as well,” Rubin said.
Factors such as mortality statistics, nurse staffing ratio and advanced technology all played a part in the ranking, but reputation had a large impact as well, said Gerald Levey, the vice chancellor for medical services and dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
According to U.S. News and World Report, a randomized sample of 200 board-certified specialists were selected from across the nation to list the five hospitals they thought are the best in each specialty for difficult cases.
Levey said the UCLA Medical Center’s first-rate reputation can be attributed to the people and the medical developments.
“We have first rate physicians, nurses and staff … they are dedicated to give the best to the patients,” he said. “Our many medical advancements propel modern medicine to new heights.”
One element that really sets UCLA Medical Center apart is the close interwoven connection between the medical school and the hospital, Levey said.
“Dean Warren set very high standards,” he said, referring to the first dean of the medical school. “His goal was for scientists and physicians to work together because that would be the future of modern medicine. This has resulted in a form of medical care that distinguishes us from the thousands of other hospitals.”
The recognition continues to place UCLA Medical Center among the top, rising from a position of fifth last year to third this year.
“It’s a special and humbling feeling to know that the outside world recognizes us,” Levey said. “It makes the hard work that we do all the more satisfying.”
Though the ranking is a remarkable achievement, hospital representatives agree that ultimately, the hospital’s focus is still on the patients, said David Feinberg, the chief executive officer of the UCLA Hospital System.
“(The ranking) is not as important as the next patient that walks through the door,” Feinberg said. “The next patient has to be assured that they will be getting the highest level of medical care. We exist to take care of patients, not to get a high score.”
With the opening of the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in early 2008 as well as new facilities in Santa Monica in the upcoming year, a large number of changes and improvements will occur.
“It is such an honor to be among such a fabulous group of institutions in the country,” Feinberg said. “The future is really exciting, and we hope to continue to provide the best medical care possible.”