UCSF Medical Center once again has earned a five-star rating for overall hospital quality from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The recognition reflects UCSF Health's commitment to the highest standards of care. This is the third consecutive year that UCSF Health has received this honor.
"Exceptional quality and patient safety are at the core of the care we provide at UCSF," said Amy Lu, UCSF chief quality officer and vice president. "This five-star rating from CMS is a testament to the dedication of our teams who work tirelessly to deliver care that is safe, high-quality, holistic, and patient-centered. We are proud to serve the people of San Francisco and our broader community, and this recognition reflects our ongoing commitment to ensuring that every patient receives the best possible care."
For each hospital, the Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating summarizes a variety of measures across five areas of quality: mortality, safety, readmission, patient experience, and timely and effective care. The CMS Overall Star Rating program is designed to help patients and families make informed decisions about their care. Only 10% of hospitals nationwide receive a five-star rating, which is the highest rating possible, and 91 fewer hospitals earned a five-star quality rating from CMS in 2025 compared to 2024.
Lu said that several efforts have contributed to UCSF Health's five-star rating. The institution is intentionally focused on reducing harms, which has led to UCSF being one of the highest performing hospitals in mortality rates nationwide, and it has improved clinical outcomes.
In the University of California system, UC San Diego Health also garnered five stars. UCSF Health St. Mary's Hospital received a four-star rating from CMS.
UCSF Health consistently ranks among the nation's leaders across health care's most highly regarded rating systems, including U.S. News & World Report's annual Best Hospitals lists. UCSF Medical Center has also achieved the gold standard "Magnet recognition" for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center for more than a decade. UCSF Health hospitals have received the Top Hospital award and "A" Hospital Safety Grades from The Leapfrog Group and have been listed as a top performer for three years in a row in Vizient's annual patient-care study.
About UCSF Health: UCSF Health is recognized worldwide for its innovative patient care, reflecting the latest medical knowledge, advanced technologies and pioneering research. It includes the flagship UCSF Medical Center, which is among the nation's best hospitals , as well as UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals, with campuses in San Francisco and Oakland; two community hospitals, UCSF Health St. Mary's and UCSF Health Saint Francis; Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital; UCSF Benioff Children's Physicians; and the UCSF Faculty Practice. These hospitals serve as the academic medical center of the University of California, San Francisco, which is world-renowned for its graduate-level health sciences education and biomedical research. UCSF Health has affiliations with hospitals and health organizations throughout the Bay Area. Visit www.ucsfhealth.org
