AURORA, Colo. (Oct. 2, 2015) – University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) has just named UCHealth’s University of Colorado Hospital (UCH) as the #6 highest-performing academic hospital in the United States for delivering quality health care.

University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC), the 133-member alliance of the nation’s leading nonprofit academic medical centers and 299 of their affiliated hospitals, gives the quality awards each year. UHC compares outcome scores in patient safety, clinical effectiveness, clinical efficiency, patient satisfaction, mortality and equity, which is a measure of whether outcomes differ for patients of different ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds.

“This award and the quality it represents are reasons why I’m very excited to join University of Colorado Hospital,” said Will Cook, UCH’s new president and CEO. “To be repeatedly ranked among the nation’s top 10 academic medical centers shows our staff’s constant dedication to putting patients first. This award also speaks to the quality of the faculty and research at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, because it is through their partnership that, together, we’re able to provide such a high level of care for patients.”

Academic medical centers are the research and medical school-based hospitals generally seen as the best places for advanced, complex care. UCH is the leading academic medical center in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region and is home to some of the nation’s best specialists and sub-specialists.

University of Colorado Hospital is a member of UCHealth’s system of hospitals and clinics stretching across Colorado, southern Wyoming and western Nebraska. Through the UCHealth system, more patients throughout the region now have access to the clinical trials and advanced treatments that, until recently, have only been available within an academic medical center.

“What makes UCHealth unique in the entire Rocky Mountain Region is our focus on providing exceptional, academic-based medical care within our community hospitals and clinics. This partnership enables UCHealth’s patients to truly receive the very best care, close to home,” said UCHealth President and CEO Elizabeth Concordia.

University HealthSystem Consortium ranked University of Colorado Hospital as the nation’s #1 academic hospital in both 2011 and 2012, and a top-10 hospital in 2013.

“While it is certainly an honor to again be named one of the top 10 academic medical centers in the nation, providing award-winning care for our patients is the number one reason we always strive for the best,” said Concordia. “This award is a tribute to our excellent nurses, staff and providers.”

In addition to being named among the top 10 academic hospitals in the United States, U.S. News & World Report ranks University of Colorado Hospital as the best in the state.

 About University of Colorado Hospital

University of Colorado Hospital is the Rocky Mountain region’s leading academic medical center.  UCH is best known as an innovator in patient care and often as one of the first hospitals to bring new medicine to the patients’ bedside.  University HealthSystem Consortium named UCH the #1 Academic Medical Center in quality in the nation in both 2011 and 2012, and U.S. News & World Report named University of Colorado Hospital the best hospital in Colorado in 2012, 2013 and 2014.  UCH is one of five Colorado hospitals that make up UCHealth.  The hospital’s physicians are affiliated with the University of Colorado School of Medicine, part of the University of Colorado system.  Based on the expansive Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, CO, the hospital is where patient care, research and education converge to establish the future of health care delivery.

About UCHealth

UCHealth is a Front Range health system that delivers the highest quality patient care with the highest quality patient experience.  University of Colorado Health combines Memorial Hospital, Poudre Valley Hospital, Medical Center of the Rockies, Colorado Health Medical Group, and University of Colorado Hospital into an organization dedicated to health and providing unmatched patient care in the Rocky Mountain West. UCHealth partners with the University Of Colorado School Of Medicine and numerous community organizations to provide care. Separately, these institutions can continue providing superior care to patients and service to the communities they serve. Together, they push the boundaries of medicine, attracting more research