Local Doctors, UCLA Rank High

The UCLA Health System’s hospitals in Santa Monica and Westwood have been named to U.S. News and World Report’s Best Hospitals 2014–15 Honor Roll. UCLA was ranked No. 5 in the country and No. 1 in both California and the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

This year’s Honor Roll highlights just 17 hospitals out of nearly 5,000 nationwide.

“We are grateful and honored to again be recognized for the outstanding work of our physicians and staff on behalf of the patients who seek care at UCLA,” said Dr. David Feinberg, president of the UCLA Health System and CEO of the UCLA Hospital System.

To be included on the Best Hospitals Honor Roll, a medical center must place in the top tier in at least six of the 16 specialties in which U.S. News ranks hospitals.

“We’re especially pleased that UCLA’s geriatrics program continues to rank in the top tier each year,” said Palisadian Dr. David Reuben, chief of geriatric medicine at UCLA and a 24-year resident of Sunset Mesa with his wife, Dr. Gale Greendale.

“UCLA has been dedicated to improving the care of older adults for more than 30 years.  It has recruited a world-class faculty and has invested in the clinical and research programs needed to ensure that older people receive the best care possible, which they receive at our state-of-the-art inpatient unit at UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica, our outpatient clinic in Santa Monica and throughout the UCLA Health System.”

U.S. News publishes Best Hospitals to help guide patients who need a high level of care because they face a particularly difficult surgery, a challenging condition or extra risk because of age or multiple health problems.

“This honor confirms, once again, that the UCLA Health System is one of the premier healthcare providers in the nation,” said Palisadian Dr. Anthony Scaduto, director of pediatric orthopaedics at UCLA Medical Center Santa Monica and president, Orthopaedic Institute for Children.

“We not only provide the most sophisticated and patient-centered care but also rank among the very best academic medical centers in the nation.”

Scaduto, who lives in El Medio Bluffs with his family, oversees a team of physicians dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of children and young adults with rare and more common orthopaedic conditions.

The rankings are available online now and will appear in print in the “U.S. News Best Hospitals 2015” guidebook in August. For information about clinical programs or help in choosing a personal physician, call 800-UCLA-MD1 or visit www.uclahealth.org.