UCI Health — Orange receives top teaching hospital recognition from Leapfrog
One of the top centers for nursing and medical student training for the second time
Orange, Calif. — UCI Health — Orange, formerly UCI Medical Center, has once again been named a Top Teaching Hospital by the Leapfrog Group.
This designation recognizes teaching hospitals across the nation that prioritize patient safety and quality and adhere to adult and pediatric surgical and ICU standards of care.
UCI Health — Orange is one of 73 teaching hospitals in the nation to receive this designation. It was also recognized in 2023.
The Top Hospitals award recognizes hospitals with systems in place to prevent medication errors, higher quality maternity care and lower infection rates, among other laudable qualities.
Hospitals are eligible to receive a Leapfrog Top Hospital Award if they received an "A" in the most recent round of scoring in the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade.
Quality, safety track record
UCI Health — Orange has been consistently recognized as a national leader in patient safety and high-quality care.
- It is one of the fewer than 10% of hospitals in the world to have achieved Magnet Recognition® for nursing excellence five times.
- The California Department of Public Health recognized the hospital with its Gold Antimicrobial Stewardship Honor Roll, the highest possible recognition from the department’s Healthcare-Associated Infections Program.
- Vizient® recognized it in its 2025 Ambulatory Quality and Accountability Ranking and it is one of just five health systems in the nation to be recognized for demonstrating excellence in delivering high-quality outpatient care.
- Practice Greenhealth has repeatedly honored it as one of the nation’s top hospitals leading sustainability transformation, most recently with its prestigious Top 25 Environmental Excellence Award.
Specialty-specific accolades
Numerous specialties at UCI Health have also received accolades for exceptional achievements in quality and safety. They include:
- Newsweek Best Maternity Care Hospital since 2020, the ranking’s inaugural year
- Advanced Heart Failure Program, The Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval, 2024
- Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll, 2025
- Get With The Guidelines Heart Failure Gold Plus with Target: Heart Failure Optimal with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll, 2025
- Get With The Guidelines Heart Failure Gold Plus and Target Heart Failure Optimal Award, 2025
About UCI Health
UCI Health is one of California’s largest academic health systems and the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. Established on July 1, 1976, UCI Health has grown into a 1,461-bed health system that includes UCI Health — Orange, UCI Health — Irvine, four Community Network hospitals and a growing network of ambulatory care centers across Orange and Los Angeles counties. As Orange County’s only academic health systems, UCI Health is home to the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center based in the county, the region’s only American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, American College of Emergency Physicians Gold Level 1 Geriatric Emergency Department and a nationally recognized regional burn center verified by the American Burn Association. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves 5.6 million people across Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County through excellence in patient care, research and medical education. Follow UCI Health on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.