Raising the bar on excellence
More doctors recognized than any other Orange County health system
UCI Health is home to 174 doctors who have been named 2021 Physicians of Excellence by the Orange County Medical Association, more than any other health system in Orange County.
This prestigious honor, announced in the January 2021 issue of Orange Coast magazine, is bestowed by the volunteer physician organization as part of its mission to promote the art and science of medicine, the protection of public health and the betterment of the medical profession.
The complete list includes more than 560 Orange County physicians in 75 specialties. The magazine is on newsstands now.
This year, UCI Health received its 13th consecutive "A" grade for patient safety from The Leapfrog Group and was listed among America’s Best Hospitals for the 20th year in a row by U.S. News & World Report. The report highlights the excellence of UCI Health programs in gynecology, No. 16, Urology, No. 24, Nephrology, No. 43, and geriatrics, No. 45, among similar programs nationally. The medical center is ranked No. 5 in the Los Angeles metropolitan region.
UCI Health doctors practice across the region. In addition to UCI Medical Center in Orange, primary and specialty care locations include Gottschalk Medical Plaza in Irvine and offices in Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Orange, Placentia, Tustin and Yorba Linda.
In coastal Orange County, UCI Health specialty care in cancer, breast health, digestive diseases, plastic surgery, neurosurgery and dermatology is available in Costa Mesa. Urology, executive health, behavioral health and sleep medicine services are available at the UCI Health Newport — Birch Street. And integrative services in cardiology, gastroenterology, pain management, dermatology, sports medicine and plastic surgery are offered at UCI Health — Newport Beach, which opened in August, 2020.
To be eligible for OCMA recognition, physicians are required to:
- Be certified by a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties, a member board of the American Board of Osteopathic Medical Specialties, or an equivalency board recognized by the Medical Board of California or Osteopathic Medical Board of California
- Be in good standing with the Medical Board of California or Osteopathic Medical Board of California
- Maintain a primary practice in Orange County for the last five years
- Be in practice within his/her specialty for the last five years
Physicians were required to demonstrate achievements in at least two of the following criteria: physician leadership; teaching/mentoring; medical research/scientific advances; and humanitarian service.
UCI Health 2021 Physicians of Excellence
UCI Health is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. Patients can access UCI Health at primary and specialty care offices across Orange County and at its main campus, UCI Medical Center in Orange, Calif. The 418-bed acute-care hospital, listed among America’s Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report for 20 consecutive years, provides tertiary and quaternary care, ambulatory and specialty medical clinics, as well as behavioral health and rehabilitation services. UCI Medical Center is home to Orange County’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center and regional burn center. It is the primary teaching hospital for the UCI School of Medicine. UCI Health serves a region of nearly 4 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.