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


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.

Learn more

"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.


Stroke Honor Roll

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: