By Barbara Ortutay
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Sick people from across the country ““ and even the globe
““ visit the renowned UCLA Medical Center seeking treatment
for life-threatening diseases when their local hospitals are simply
not enough.
For the 11th consecutive year, the UCLA Medical Center ranked as
the best hospital in the Western United States in a U.S. News &
World Report survey of 2,550 physicians across the country.
“Chances are you’ll never need these rankings
““ but if you do, they could save your life,” reads the
U.S. News Web site as it explains reason behind the survey.
The Medical Center was rated as the fifth best hospital in the
nation, moving up one notch from last year.
“We have extraordinary physicians and nurses who have
developed some of the best programs in the country,” said Dr.
Gerald Levey, provost of the Medical Sciences and dean of the
School of Medicine.
The ranking is available in this year’s issue of
“America’s Best Hospitals,” published July 10 by
U.S. News & World Report.
While the rankings were welcomed by nurses and physicians at the
Medical Center, Levey said the biggest benefit is for the patients
“who come here and and take great comfort in the fact that
the hospital is ranked one of the best in the world.”
UCLA has received the best hospital in the West title each year
in the survey’s 11-year history. To rank the hospitals, the
magazine surveyed 6,247 centers, only 173 of which made the final
cut.
The U.S. News Honor Roll, which ranks the top hospitals in the
nation, rates them based on scores in at least six of 17 specialty
areas in “America’s Best Hospitals.”
The specialties include areas such as cancer, geriatrics,
pediatrics, psychiatry and kidney disease ““ a category added
this year.
To rate the programs, the magazine asked 150 board-certified
physicians in each specialty ““ 2,550 in all ““ to pick
the top five hospitals in their area, ignoring cost and
location.
UCLA received 21 points in 13 specialties. In first place was
Johns Hopkins Hospital, receiving 31 points in 16 specialties.
There is a high concentration of older people living in the west
side of Los Angeles, according to Medical Center spokesman David
Lagness. Many of them may benefit from UCLA’s geriatrics
program, which received the highest ranking in the nation.
“We have been right on the top for the past seven or eight
years,” said David Reuben, director of the division of
geriatrics. “We have great faculty, good support. We love
caring for older persons.”
The Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center ranked eighth in the
nation ““ jumping up five places from last year.
“This is the highest of any cancer center in the
West,” said Judy Gasson, director of the center.
She cited excellence in patient care, outstanding research
programs in basic science, clinical research and cancer prevention
as some of the reasons for the high ranking.
“I think it will be helpful to us when we’re
recruiting,” Gasson continued. “When people are
diagnosed with cancer, they come here.”
Other highly ranked programs at the Medical Center include
gynecology, which was fourth in the nation, and psychiatry, which
ranked sixth. The Center’s digestive disorders program, which
includes treating ulcers, was also ranked as the sixth best in the
nation.
“We are committed to excellence, and appreciate being
recognized for it,” said Dr. Michael Karpf, director of the
Medical Center, in a statement.