UC Irvine Health boasts 100-plus ‘Best Doctors in America’

More than 100 UC Irvine Health physicians are among the 2013-14 “Best Doctors in America,” a prestigious list compiled every other year by Best Doctors Inc. UC Irvine has more physicians and specialties represented than any other medical group in Orange County. Only 5 percent of doctors nationally earn this honor, decided by impartial peer review and a comprehensive survey that begins with the question: “Who would you choose to treat a loved one’s complex medical condition?”

“Our goal is to provide the region with access to the best physicians in the widest range of specialties,” said Terry A. Belmont, CEO of UC Irvine Medical Center. “This list reflects our commitment to high-quality healthcare.”

UC Irvine’s doctors practice at UC Irvine Medical Center, in Orange; Gottschalk Medical Plaza, in Irvine; and numerous other offices and health centers around the county. The new list boasts 110 UC Irvine Health physicians in 29 specialties; some individuals are recognized as “Best Doctors” in more than one category. The 2011-12 roster featured more than 90 UC Irvine physicians.

“Each year, the number of ‘Best Doctors’ who are members of  UC Irvine Health has increased. This is a tribute to the quality of our departments and our facilities, which continue to attract some of the country’s very best doctors,” said Dr. Ralph V. Clayman, dean of the UC Irvine Health School of Medicine. “Most importantly, the people who seek our care are the beneficiaries of the skills and knowledge of these fine physicians.”

Best Doctors Inc. has earned a worldwide reputation for reliable results by remaining totally independent. Physicians cannot pay to be included in the “Best Doctors” database, nor are they paid to provide their input. The list, audited and certified by Gallup, is the product of exhaustive polling of more than 45,000 physicians in the United States. Doctors in at least 40 specialties and 400 subspecialties appear on this year’s roster.

About UC Irvine Medical Center: Orange County’s only university hospital, UC Irvine Medical Center offers acute- and general-care services at its new, 482,000-square-foot UC Irvine Douglas Hospital and is home to the county’s only Level I trauma center, American College of Surgeons-verified regional burn center and National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center. For 12 consecutive years, U.S. News & World Report has counted UC Irvine among “America’s Best Hospitals.”

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Led by Chancellor Michael Drake since 2005, UCI is among the most dynamic campuses in the University of California system, with more than 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 1,100 faculty and 9,400 staff. Orange County’s second-largest employer, UCI contributes an annual economic impact of $4.3 billion. For more UCI news, visit wp.communications.uci.edu.

News Radio: UCI maintains on campus an ISDN line for conducting interviews with its faculty and experts. Use of this line is available for a fee to radio news programs/stations that wish to interview UCI faculty and experts. Use of the ISDN line is subject to availability and approval by the university.