Encinitas Hospital Among Best In Nation: U.S. News

ENCINITAS, CA — Several hospitals in San Diego County — including one in Encinitas — are among the best hospitals in the country, according to Best Hospitals rankings from U.S. News & World Report.

The 34th edition of the rankings recognizes the top 484 regional hospitals, as well as the top 22 "honor roll" hospitals. Hospitals that made the rankings achieved excellence across a range of specialties, according to U.S. News.

In San Diego County, UC San Diego Health's Hillcrest and La Jolla hospitals made the honor roll. Only five hospitals in the state made the honor roll, with the others being Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco, and Stanford Hospital in Stanford.

A total of 69 California hospitals ranked among the best in the country. These are the San Diego area hospitals that ranked among the best, along with their ranking when compared to other hospitals in the state:

• UC San Diego Health-La Jolla and Hillcrest Hospitals, San Diego, No. 1 (five-way tie)
• Scripps La Jolla Hospitals, La Jolla, No. 8
• Sharp Memorial Hospital, San Diego, No. 18 (three-way tie)
• Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center, Chula Vista, No. 22 (two-way tie)
• Kaiser Permanente San Diego Zion and San Diego Medical Center, San Diego, No. 26
• Sharp Grossmont Hospital, La Mesa, No. 36 (seven-way tie)
• Scripps Mercy Hospital, San Diego, No. 43 (seven-way tie)
• Scripps Memorial Hospital-Encinitas, Encinitas, No. 65 (three-way tie)

U.S. News evaluated more than 4,500 hospitals across 15 specialties and 21 procedures and conditions. Hospitals awarded a "best" designation excelled at factors such as clinical outcomes, quality of nursing care and patient experience.

The rankings are meant to help patients and their doctors make health care decisions, according to Ben Harder, managing editor at U.S. News.

This year, U.S. News said it placed more emphasis on objective quality measures and less on expert opinion. Other changes include the introduction of outpatient outcomes in key specialty and surgical rankings.