UCSF Medical Center named one of top 10 hospitals nationwide and best in Bay Area

By Kate Vidinsky

UCSF Medical Center ranks among the nation’s top 10 premier hospitals and is the best in the Bay Area, according to the new 2008 “America’s Best Hospitals” survey conducted by “U.S. News & World Report.”

This year UCSF retains its place as the seventh best hospital in the country, earning a spot on the survey’s “honor roll,” which recognizes a breadth of excellence across specialties. The magazine calls this honor roll the “best of the best.”

This is the eighth consecutive year UCSF has earned a top 10 ranking and honor roll status.

“We are proud to consistently rank among the top 10 hospitals in the nation,” said UCSF Medical Center CEO Mark Laret. “We are committed to providing the highest quality care to our patients, advancing new methods of delivering care and improving the health of people around the world.”

U.S. News analyzed data on 5,453 hospitals to produce its list of the 170 “best” hospitals. The survey recognizes medical centers that take on and “excel at treating a variety of demanding illnesses and procedures,” according to the magazine. Hospitals that make the list follow – and often pioneer – new treatment guidelines, conduct bench-to-bedside research and exploit the latest advances in imaging, surgical devices and other technologies.

In addition to the overall rankings, U.S. News also evaluated 16 specialties in this year’s report. In eight of those specialties, UCSF placed among the top 10 medical centers. These specialties are endocrinology, neurology and neurosurgery, gynecology, urology, cancer, respiratory disorders, rheumatology and ophthalmology.

In a separate set of pediatric specialty rankings released in June 2008, UCSF Children’s Hospital placed among the top 20 in six different areas.

“What’s most gratifying is that we do well consistently across the board, not just in one or two select fields. Our expertise covers virtually all conditions,” Laret said.

The survey methodology is based on a series of factors, including hard data, reputation (physician surveys), death rate and care-related issues such as nursing and availability of advanced technological services.

UCSF Medical Center is recognized throughout the world as a leading academic hospital that provides innovative treatments, uses advanced technology, fosters collaboration among clinicians and scientists, and employs a highly compassionate team of doctors, nurses and staff.

Results from the U.S. News 19th annual survey appear in the upcoming July 21 issue of the magazine that is on newsstands July 14. The rankings also appear on the magazine’s website at www.usnews.com/besthospitals.

U.S. News and World Report 2008 Top Honor Roll:

1. Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore
2. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
3. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles
4. Cleveland Clinic
5. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
6. New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell
7. University of California, San Francisco Medical Center
8. Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston
8. Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.
10. Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
10. University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle
12. Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University, St. Louis
13. University of Michigan Hospitals and Health System, Ann Arbor
14. UPMC-University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
15. Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville
16. Stanford Hospital and Clinics
17. University of Chicago Medical Center
18. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles
19. Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Conn.

UCSF Medical Center – Top 10 Medical Specialty Rankings:

  • Endocrinology – 4
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery – 4
  • Gynecology – 5
  • Urology – 7
  • Cancer – 8
  • Respiratory Disorders – 8
  • Rheumatology – 9
  • Ophthalmology – 10

UCSF Children’s Hospital – Top 20 Pediatric Specialty Rankings:

  • Neonatal Care – 10
  • Digestive Diseases – 13
  • Heart and Heart Surgery – 18
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery – 19
  • General Pediatrics – 20
  • Cancer – 20