Quality and Safety of Patient Care

UC San Diego Health #1 in San Diego according to U.S. News and World Report

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.

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.

Reports on Our High Quality of Care

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

No. 1 Hospital in San Diego

UC San Diego Health was ranked the No. 1 hospital system in the San Diego metro area for 2020-21 by U.S. News & World Report. We also ranked among the nation's best in 10 adult medical and surgical specialties, more than any hospital system in San Diego.

Quality Leadership Award

UC San Diego Health was named a top performer in the 2019 Bernard A. Birnbaum, MD, Quality Leadership Award category by Vizient. This award places UC San Diego Health among the top 10 academic medical centers in the U.S. for patient care. Our 2020 performance is further proof of our standing as a top academic medical center.

Four-Star CMS Rating

In February 2019, UC San Diego Health received a four-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for the quality of our hospital care to Medicare Advantage patients. The four-star rating reflects our high performance in patient safety and survival, as well as patient experience.

"A's" for Hospital Safety

UC San Diego Health's hospitals in both La Jolla and Hillcrest earned top marks for hospital safety from The Leapfrog Group in 2020. UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest was also named a Top Teaching Hospital in 2018.

The Leapfrog Group is a nonprofit organization that advocates quality, safety and transparency in the nation’s health care system.

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