La Jolla is Home to Some of the ‘Best’ Hospitals

Several area hospitals were named best of the best in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospital list, including locally and ’s Medical Center in Hillcrest.

Out of the 4,852 facilities analyzed for the 2010-11 Best Hospital list, only 152 were ranked in any of the 16 specialties including cancer, gastroenterology, geriatric and gynecology. Rankings took into account numerous factors including patient safety, reputation and death rates.

Rady’s Children’s Hospital ranked fourth nationally in pediatric orthopedics and 12th in pediatric urology. UC San Diego Medical Center ranked 11th nationally in pulmonology and 21st in psychiatry. Scripps La Jolla ranked 34th in heart care and heart surgery.

In addition, U.S. News looked at the 27 hospitals in San Diego County and named the top six locally. 

1. UC San Diego Medical Center
2. Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla
3. Scripps Mercy Hospital
4. Sharp Memorial Hospital
5. Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center
6. Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women and Newborns 

“UC San Diego Health System is proud to be recognized as number one in San Diego by U.S. News & World Report,” said Thomas E. Jackiewicz, chief executive officer of UC San Diego Health System in a release. “As the region’s only academic health system, we are uniquely positioned to deliver the most novel treatments and complex care to all of San Diego.”

Chris Van Gorder, Scripps president and CEO, also issued a statement on the report. “This recognition demonstrates Scripps Health’s outstanding quality care in cardiovascular services, as well as other many other important specialties,” he said on Tuesday. “Today’s news further demonstrates the consistent high-quality care we provide across our system. We owe these accolades to the incredible dedication and talent of our hospitals’ staff and physicians.”