MemorialCare Hospitals Listed as High Performing in U.S. News & World Report's 2013 Best Hospitals Rankings

ORANGE/LOS ANGELES COUNTIES, Calif., Aug. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- MemorialCare Health System hospitals have again been ranked among California's best hospitals and are being recognized for their high performances in many different specialty areas. MemorialCare's three major adult hospitals received top rankings in 23 medical specialties while Long Beach Memorial ranked in the top 10 in the greater Los Angeles and Orange county region, Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in San Clemente and Laguna Hills at number 11 and Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley in the top 20.

The hospitals were all ranked as "high performing" in various specialties. Saddleback Memorial was ranked in the areas of Diabetes & Endocrinology; Ear, Nose & Throat, Gastroenterology, Geriatrics, Gynecology, Neurology & Neurosurgery; Orthopedics, Pulmonology and Urology. Long Beach Memorial was recognized in the areas of Cancer, Diabetes & Endocrinology; Ear, Nose & Throat; Gastroenterology, Geriatrics, Gynecology; Nephrology, Neurology & Neurosurgery; Orthopedics; Pulmonology and Urology. Orange Coast Memorial received recognition for being high performing in Diabetes & Endocrinology; Gynecology and Orthopedics.

In each of these specialties, categories including patient survival rates, advanced technologies, patient volume, nurse staffing and patient services were measured, and all three MemorialCare hospitals consistently received marks of 'high,' 'highest,' and 'better than expected.'

"We continually strive to advance our mission to improve the overall quality of health care services for all Californians," says Barry Arbuckle, president and CEO of MemorialCare Health System. "These rankings show that our institutions, in the nation's largest and most diverse state, never lose sight of the local needs of our patients while consistently achieving these high levels of excellence."

U.S. News evaluates hospitals in varying adult specialties. In most specialties, it recognizes high-performing regional hospitals that provide care at near the level of their nationally ranked peers. Saddleback Memorial, Long Beach Memorial and Orange Coast Memorial were ranked within the top 20 in Southern California and in the top 40 throughout California.

"A hospital that emerges from our analysis as one of the best has much to be proud of," said Avery Comarow, U.S. News Health Rankings Editor. "Only about 15% of hospitals are recognized for their high performance as among their region's best."

MemorialCare Health System, with 200 care sites throughout the Southland, is a not-for-profit integrated delivery system that includes six top hospitals – Long Beach Memorial, Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach, Community Hospital Long Beach, Orange Coast Memorial, and Saddleback Memorial Laguna Hills and San Clemente; a medical group – MemorialCare Medical Group; an Independent Practice Association (IPA) – Greater Newport Physicians; MemorialCare HealthExpress retail clinics; outpatient surgery centers and imaging centers and numerous other outpatient health centers throughout the Southland.

U.S. News & World Report is a multi-platform publisher of news and analysis, which includes U.S. News Weekly magazine, www.usnews.com and www.rankingsandreviews.com. Its signature franchise includes the annual "Best" series of consumer web guides and publications with rankings of colleges, graduate schools, hospitals, mutual funds, health plans and more.

SOURCE MemorialCare Health System