Quality and Safety of Patient Care

One Place Puts Patients First

Hospitals and doctors are not all alike. Across the nation and within your community, there are significant variations in the training and expertise of health care providers. The hospital and medical team you choose is an important personal choice, affecting you and your family.

At UC San Diego Health, we are dedicated to delivering the highest quality, safest care for every patient, every time. We encourage you to become an informed consumer.

Hospital Compare

As part of our commitment to excellence in safety and quality, UC San Diego Health participates in Hospital Compare, a consumer-oriented website that enables side-by-side comparisons of hospitals. There is also patient education on choosing a hospital.

Learn how we compare.

Quality and Transparency

In partnership with the California Hospital Association, the Hospital Quality Institute produces quarterly Quality Transparency Dashboards that contain publically available patient safety data for hospitals. This quantitative information is compiled and shared to help improve patient care and innovation.

Read our most recent quality report.

Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission

Earning a Gold Seal from The Joint Commission signifies the highest level of quality care for our patients. Our Gold Seal Advanced Certification Programs include:

Read The Joint Commission's Quality Report


"A" Grade for Hospital Safety

UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest earned an “A” in the Fall 2018 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade and UC San Diego Health – La Jolla earned a “B.” UC San Diego Medical Center was also named a 2018 Top Teaching Hospital. The Leapfrog Group is a nonprofit organization that advocates quality, safety and transparency in the nation’s health care system. Nationwide, slightly more than a third of the 2,600+ hospitals surveyed earned an “A” rating.

Learn more about the safety grades.


Medicare Advantage 5-Star Rating

In December 2017, UC San Diego Health was recognized as a 5-star provider of care to Medicare Advantage patients by the statewide, nonprofit Integrated Healthcare Association (IHA). The 5-star designation is the highest level of Medicare Advantage Stars quality achievement and recognizes exceptional levels of quality. Only ten of 181 participating physician organizations achieved this performance level in measurement year 2016.

Learn more

Honor Roll for Stroke Care

In May 2018, we earned the Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. We were also listed on its Target: Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll. Both distinctions recognize our commitment to saving the lives of stroke patients.

Reports on Our High Quality of Care

The following reports provide objective measures of the care we provide: