Downey Medical Center Recognized as a Top-tier Regional Hospital by U.S. News & World Report
Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center has been honoured by U.S. News & World Report's 2025-2026 Best Hospitals edition. The medical center was recognized as high performing in ten adult medical specialties, procedures, and conditions. These include spinal fusion, congestive heart failure, heart attack, hip fracture, leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, lung cancer surgery, pneumonia, stroke, and arrhythmia. Additionally, the medical center was recognized as high performing in orthopedics overall [1].
This recognition is a testament to the hospital's specialized expertise and exceptional patient outcomes. U.S. News & World Report's annual study evaluates more than 4,400 hospitals across 15 adult specialties and 22 procedures and conditions. Only one third of hospitals surveyed earned an award [1].
Mitch Winnik, senior vice president and area manager of Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center, expressed his pride in the hospital's team, stating, "Our physicians and staff are high performers who strive for excellence every day." Dr. Laurie Anne Chu, area medical director of Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center, added, "Our physicians and care teams provide compassionate, high-quality care so patients can focus on healing and recovery with peace of mind."
Downey Medical Center was also recognized as a 'Best' Hospital by U.S. News & World Report for Maternity Care. This is the highest award a hospital can earn in U.S. News & World Report's Maternity Care category. The recognition for Downey Medical Center's Maternity Care was also given in the "Health" section of Los Cerritos Community News [2].
Several Kaiser Permanente hospitals across Southern California, including Downey Medical Center, were among the best in the nation and state for delivering safe, high-quality care. Nine Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Southern California ranked among the state's best, including Downey, Anaheim, Irvine, Fontana, Ontario, Los Angeles, San Diego Zion, San Diego, and Woodland Hills medical centers [1].
U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals Specialty rankings methodology and Procedures and Conditions ratings methodology measure patient outcomes using data from over 800 million records of patient care. U.S. News analyzed each hospital's performance based on objective measures such as risk-adjusted mortality rates, preventable complications, and level of nursing care [1].
U.S. News' annual ratings and rankings are designed to assist patients in making informed decisions about where to receive care for challenging health conditions or elective procedures. The recognition for Downey Medical Center in the 2024-2025 Best Hospitals analysis was given in the "City News" section of Los Cerritos Community News [3].
[1] U.S. News & World Report. (2025). Best Hospitals 2025-2026. Retrieved from https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals [2] Los Cerritos Community News. (2024). Downey Medical Center Recognized as High Performing in Maternity Care. Retrieved from https://loscerritosnews.net/2024/07/downey-medical-center-recognized-as-high-performing-in-maternity-care/ [3] Los Cerritos Community News. (2025). Downey Medical Center Recognized as a Best Regional Hospital. Retrieved from https://loscerritosnews.net/2025/08/downey-medical-center-recognized-as-a-best-regional-hospital/
- The Downey Medical Center, recognized for its excellence in various medical specialties, is now also a valuable source for community news regarding health-and-wellness, medical-conditions, and upcoming events related to science and medicine.
- The U.S. News & World Report's recognition of Downey Medical Center as a 'Best' Hospital for Maternity Care was also featured in the "Community News" section of Los Cerritos Community News, extending their reach to provide local residents with essential information about health-and-wellness and medical-conditions.
