San Diego Hospital Named Top 20 Nationwide

UC San Diego Health said on August 3 that U.S. News & World Report ranked its hospitals among the nation’s top 20 for 2026-2027, putting the San Diego system on the publication’s Honor Roll. The health system said it was also ranked No. 1 in California and No. 1 in San Diego for a seventh straight year. U.S. News published the 2026-2027 rankings on August 4 and said 20 hospitals nationwide made the Honor Roll. The rankings also listed UC San Diego Health-La Jolla, Hillcrest, and East Campus Medical Centers as the top regional hospital in San Diego. ### Which San Diego hospital system made the national top 20? UC San Diego Health was the San Diego-area system named to the national top 20, according to the health system and U.S. News. The designation applies to UC San Diego Health and its three hospitals: Hillcrest Medical Center, Jacobs Medical Center and East Campus Medical Center. (health.ucsd.edu) August 4 rankings from U.S. News described the Honor Roll as the list of 20 hospitals that performed best nationally across multiple specialties, procedures and conditions. UC San Diego Health’s own announcement said the recognition made it the region’s only academic medical center to place among the top 20 in the nation this year. ### What, exactly, did U.S. (health.ucsd.edu) News rank? U.S. News said its 2026-2027 Best Hospitals edition evaluated nearly 4,500 hospitals across 14 adult specialties and 23 procedures and conditions. The publication said the Honor Roll recognizes broad clinical performance, while its regional rankings identify hospitals that perform strongly closer to home. (usnews.com) The Best Regional Hospitals criteria require a hospital to earn “High Performing” ratings in at least eight procedures and medical conditions, including maternity care, and to hold at least five more high-performing ratings than evaluated ratings, U.S. News said. Patch reported last year that regional recognition went to hospitals with strong performance across multiple surgery and specialty areas. (health.ucsd.edu) ### Why did this year’s rankings emphasize outcomes so heavily? U.S. News said in a methodology update published August 5 that the 2026 rankings placed greater emphasis on patient outcomes, outpatient care and regional recognition. A separate methodology document said the rankings are designed to identify hospitals best suited to treat patients whose illnesses pose unusual challenges because of underlying conditions, procedure difficulty, age or other risk factors. (health.usnews.com) UC San Diego Health said patients use the rankings because they are based on standardized outcomes data that include patient safety, quality of care and clinical performance. Patty Maysent, chief executive officer of UC San Diego Health, said the results reflected “the highest ever” for the system. (health.usnews.com) ### How strong was UC San Diego Health in the specialty rankings? UC San Diego Health said it received national recognition in eight specialties: pulmonology and lung surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, cardiology, heart and vascular surgery, geriatrics, neurology and neurosurgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery, and cancer. The system said it was ranked nationally in more specialties than any other health system in the region. (health.ucsd.edu) Pradeep K. Khosla, chancellor of the University of California San Diego, said the ranking reflected the work of physicians, nurses, researchers and care teams across the system. Maysent said the results showed the effect of combining medical expertise, care teams and newer science and technology. (health.ucsd.edu) ### How did other San Diego hospitals place regionally? U.S. News listed Scripps La Jolla Hospitals as No. 2 in San Diego behind UC San Diego Health-La Jolla, Hillcrest, and East Campus Medical Centers. Patch’s 2025 local roundup also listed Sharp Memorial Hospital among the San Diego-area hospitals recognized in the regional rankings. (health.ucsd.edu) The August 4 U.S. News release said the 2026-2027 edition also introduced regional specialty rankings in cancer, cardiology, orthopedics and rehabilitation to help patients compare complex care options closer to home. The full rankings and methodology are now posted on U.S. News’ hospital rankings pages. (prnewswire.com) (health.usnews.com)