Two County hospitals rated among America's best

 

For Immediate Release                                             Contact:          Michael Wilson

July 29, 2009                                                                                       213-240-8059

                                                                                                            micwilson@dhs.lacounty.gov

                                                                                   

                                                                                                                       

Los Angeles County Public Hospitals Make “America’s Best”

Ranking by U.S. News & World Report

 

 

LOS ANGELES, Calif.  – Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center (Rancho) and the Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center (LAC+USC) have made the list of “America’s Best Hospitals” in an annual ranking of the nation’s elite medical centers by U.S. News & World Report.  Both hospitals are run by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS).

 

Rancho once again made the “Top 20” list of Rehabilitation Hospitals where it has remained for two decades – and the only rehabilitation hospital in California to have that distinction.  LAC+USC made the “Top 50” list of Ophthalmology Hospitals.

 

The U.S. News ranking, now in its 20^th year, differs from other rankings by looking at how well a hospital handles complex and demanding situations, and involves surveys completed by 10,000 physicians nationwide.  A total of 4,861 hospitals were considered for the survey, but only 174 hospitals (less than 0.4 percent of the total), were ranked in one of 16 specialties, including cancer, heart and heart surgery, kidney disorders, urology, neurology and neurosurgery.

 

Scoring criteria included reputation, mortality index, patient safety, and care related factors such as nurse staffing, and available technology, however in the ophthalmology, psychiatry, rehabilitation and rheumatology specialties hospitals were ranked on reputation alone.

 

“This ranking illustrates that our world-class clinical care has earned the respect and admiration of our national peers,” said Rancho Chief Executive Officer Jorge Orozco.  “All of Rancho’s highly trained and dedicated health care providers share in this prestigious recognition of our work and mission.”

 

“We are extremely proud of the high-quality care that our public hospitals provide to the residents of the County,” added DHS Interim Chief Medical Officer Robert G. Splawn, MD.  “Both of these remarkable hospitals, which have trained generations of physicians, continue to raise the bar in clinical outcomes through research and innovation.”

 

Of the 174 hospitals ranked in one or more specialties, 21 qualified for Honor Roll by earning high scores in at least six specialties. More information is available at http://health.usnews.com/health/best-hospitals.