St. Joseph Kidney Transplant Center Receives Highest Ranking

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. - March 1, 2017 - PRLog -- ORANGE, Calif. – St.Joseph Hospital's Kidney Transplant Center is the only kidney transplant program in Orange County and one of just four in California to earn the highest "5" rating from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR), according to a recently released report (http://srtr.org/reports-tools/program-specific-reports/). In addition, the kidney transplant program at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange has had the highest three-year success rate for patients in the state of California for the past 10 consecutive years.

The one-to-five rating is based on an extensive analysis of one year transplant success rates over the course of the previous 2 ½ years. Only 30 kidney transplant programs in the United States earned a "5" rating. SRTR was created by Congress in the 1980s to collect, analyze and report data on every transplant performed in the United States. It has since become one of the largest medical databases in the world.

"St. Joseph Hospital has a long history of providing excellent care for our patients, and we're honored to be recognized as one of the best for the work we do in transplantation," said Ervin Ruzics, MD, Medical Director of the Kidney Transplant Center at St. Joseph Hospital. "We take our calling seriously, and we strive for perfection every day, for every patient."

The ratings, called outcome assessments, are risk-adjusted scores evaluating how often patients are thriving with a functioning transplanted organ one year after the procedure.

According to data released (https://www.unos.org/us-organ-transplants-set-record-in-2...) earlier this year by the United Network for Organ Sharing, 33,606 organ transplants were reported in the United States, a record high for the fourth consecutive year. There has been a nearly 20 percent increase in transplantations since 2012.

For more information on St. Joseph Hospital's Kidney Transplant Center, please visit: http://www.sjo.org/Our-Services/Kidney-Transplant-Center.aspx.

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About St. Joseph Hospital

Founded in 1929, St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, California is a nationally recognized, 463-bed, not-for-profit Catholic hospital dedicated to extending the healing ministry of Jesus in the tradition of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange. Fully accredited by The Joint Commission and designated as a Magnet hospital for nursing excellence, St. Joseph Hospital's reputation for clinical excellence and compassionate, family-centered care draws patients from all over the United States. This is one reason why St. Joseph Hospital was named one of the top hospitals in the Los Angeles/Orange County area by U.S. News & World Report. With a highly recognized 1,000-member medical staff and more than 3,100 support staff, St. Joseph Hospital is home to more than 75 specialty programs, including The Center for Cancer Prevention and Treatment, the Heart and Vascular Center and a nationally acclaimed Orthopedics program that has been ranked among the top 50 in the nation by U.S.News & World Report. Equally important is St. Joseph Hospital's dedication to caring for the medically underserved through health education programs, a free-standing medical and dental clinic, and mobile health vans. St. Joseph Hospital depends on philanthropic support from the community to carry out its mission. These efforts are coordinated through the St. Joseph Hospital Foundation. St. Joseph Hospital is a member of the Irvine-based St. Joseph Hoag Health alliance, an integrated health network of seven hospitals, 26 urgent care centers and an array of programs and services throughout Orange County and the High Desert.