LITTLE ROCK – The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences was named to U.S. News & World Report’s annual “America’s Best Hospitals” list for the night straight year, hospital officials said Friday.

UAMS is the only Arkansas hospital named to the list, which will appear in U.S. News July 12 issue that will hit newsstands on Tuesday. The UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles was ranked No. 1 in the annual top-50 list.

The magazine ranked the UAMS geriatric clinical care program 32nd, up from 36th last year. This follows an announcement in April that the hospital’s geriatric program moved head of Yale University, from 9th to 8th-place, in the annual ranking of “America’s Best Graduate Schools” by the magazine.

“It is a great honor to once again be recognized as one of ‘America’s Best Hospitals’ by U.S. News …,” said Richard Pierson, vice chancellor for clinical program at the medical school. “We are pleased to be able to provide such an excellent level of care to our patients.”

The UAMS geriatric center, under the director of Dr. David Lipschitz, includes clinical care, research and community outreach programs.

“To be named to the list of top-to geriatric programs in the U.S. is enormously gratifying,” Lipschitz said.