Cardiovascular Awards & Achievements

Feel confident choosing UC San Diego Health's cardiovascular services for our exceptional record of high-quality care.

View UC San Diego Health's Quality and Safety Scores

Rankings and Designations

• Our heart and vascular programs are ranked among the top 50 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. UC San Diego Health is also ranked the #1 hospital system in San Diego.
• UC San Diego Health's hospitals in La Jolla and Hillcrest once again earned top marks from The Leapfrog Group in spring 2024 for keeping patients safe from preventable harm and medical errors, with an "A" for both medical campuses.
• We are consistently recognized as a top performer in the Bernard A. Birnbaum, MD, Quality Leadership Ranking category by Vizient. This achievement places UC San Diego Health among the top 10 academic medical centers in the U.S. for patient care.
• Our extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) program earned the prestigious GOLD Award for Excellence in Life Support from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO). This honor recognizes the UC San Diego Health program team's commitment to exceptional patient care.
• UC San Diego Health received a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in 2022 for the quality of our hospital care to Medicare Advantage patients.
• Our Cardiac Rehabilitation and Wellness program is certified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR), which recognizes our commitment to providing high-quality patient care and services.
• We are one of just a few medical centers in California designated as a Center of Excellence by the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association.
• We have earned the Get With The Guidelines — Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. We are also listed on its Target: Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll. Both distinctions recognize our commitment to saving the lives of stroke patients.
• We are also recognized with a Gold Plus award from the American Heart Association and American Medical Association for our commitment to lowering patients' blood pressure.
• The Stroke Center at UC San Diego Health earned the Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval in 2004 and became the first primary stroke center in San Diego County. View stroke care facts and figures.
• We have significantly decreased "door-to-balloon" time, which is the time it takes for a lifesaving procedure during the most severe types of heart attacks. Our time was under 60 minutes, well below the national benchmarks.
• We earned a Gold Seal from The Joint Commission, which signifies the highest level of quality care for our patients. Our Gold Seal Advanced Certification programs include our Comprehensive Stroke Center and Ventricular Assist Device program.
• We received the American Heart Association's 2023 Innovator Award for our electronic health care program that uses a data-driven, team-based approach to lowering patients' cholesterol.