Quality & Service
Quality and safety are the number one priority for UCLA Health System. While not always easy to measure, we believe it is important for people to have the best possible information for making their health care choices. More independent organizations are striving to give consumers tools to weigh their decisions when selecting a physician, clinic or hospital. UCLA Health System has received high marks from many of these organizations, pointing to the outstanding skills of world-renowned physicians, the use of advanced technologies that help diagnose and treat a myriad of conditions and diseases, and the ability to quickly translate cutting-edge research into bedside practice.
 But quality does not stop there. How all the pieces work in concert to assure rapid responses to life-threatening conditions, avoidance of medical mistakes, as well as making sure patients smoothly transition from their UCLA Health System primary care physician to a specialist, all contribute to quality. In addition, we internally audit and adjust systems in place, always asking ourselves the fundamental question: Are we doing what is best for our patients?
UCLA Health System physicians and staff are responsible for more than 1 million outpatient visits each year, 80,000 hospitalizations and countless interactions with community physicians with whom we strive to provide a smooth transition for their patients back into their care. But it's the individual patient experience that matters above all. Our senior administrators have made a commitment to routinely visit patients and their families at UCLA Health System to hear about their experiences-good and bad-and to take action when needed. Spending time with our patients and their families reminds us of why we are here, and reconnects us with greater purpose to our mission.
While UCLA Health System takes pride in all the top rankings it receives, the most important ranking is the one each patient gives us while in our care.
David T. Feinberg, M.D.
CEO, UCLA Hospital System
Thomas E. Sibert, M.D.
President, UCLA Faculty Group Practice
About Quality at UCLA
 UCLA Health System is renowned for the high quality healthcare services that we offer - our treatment outcomes are among the best in the world. This is achieved through extraordinary effort and commitment by UCLA Health System staff to continuously monitor and improve quality performance across our organization. We provide a comprehensive range of ambulatory and hospital programs, serving as the major center in greater Los Angeles for treating complex patient care referrals.
Our world-class medical research and teaching mission further support the delivery of leading edge bedside care. At UCLA Health System, it is our goal to provide safe, effective, high-quality healthcare for every patient, and we encourage our patients to take an active role in their healthcare. We believe patients should make informed decisions about the physicians and hospitals they trust to provide that care.
We believe in open reporting, or "transparency", in healthcare quality because we want consumers to have better information about the quality of healthcare in their community. We hope that this website will contribute to a better understanding of how to assess, report and improve hospital quality.
About Quality Data on the Internet
Today, a number of different agencies report information about hospital quality on the Internet. These websites can be a good source of information for healthcare consumers and many of them provide reliable data that can help consumers make informed.
How current is the information?
Data reported on the Internet is typically historical data. It can be years old or months old. If the data is not recent, it may not accurately reflect the care being provided today.
 What data is included?
Internet healthcare quality measures are usually of two types - process or outcome data. Process measures show how well an organization is following certain evidence-based care practices that can lead to better patient results - for example, the percent of heart attack patients who receive aspirin upon arrival in the emergency department (ED). Outcome information demonstrates the actual results of care (i.e., the rate of complications following heart surgery), and should be properly risk-adjusted (the degree of patient sickness taken into account) when comparing different hospitals in order to get an "apples to apples" evaluation.
Who is reporting the data?
There are many reputable reporting agencies, including government agencies, healthcare data organizations, and hospital associations. Consumers should always check the credentials of any group reporting healthcare quality data.
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