Level 1 Trauma Center – UMC is the only Level 1 Trauma Center in a 280-mile radius of El Paso. Our services are verified through the American College of Surgeons. UMC has remained the only Level 1 Trauma Center since 2001.

Level 1 Stroke Center –Since 2018, UMC is home to our region's only Level 1 Stroke Center and Joint Commission-Certified Comprehensive Stroke Center, certified by the Texas Department of State Health Services. We are able to treat and care for the most complex brain injuries. No other hospital in West Texas, the entire State of New Mexico or anywhere in Southern Arizona has this certification.

Mobile Stroke Unit – The UMC Mobile Stroke Unit is a specialized ambulance that saves crucial time by bringing stroke care directly to the patient. This unit is equipped with a specialized 16-slice CT scanner for accurately imaging the brain. These capabilities allow the onboard team to quickly assess the patient’s condition and immediately administer life-saving medications and treatments. Scans and medical data can be wirelessly transmitted from this unit to neuroscientists, who can determine if and what kind of stroke a patient is experiencing. Allowing doctors to direct the patient’s treatment in real-time.

Level 4 Maternal Care - UMC features our region’s first Level IV Maternal Care and baby friendly designated hospital. That means you’ll be delivering your child at the highest rated maternal care hospital in our city. Our facilities, services, physicians, nurses, and technologists are second to none with state-of-the-art equipment and technology in our operating rooms. 

GI Genius (A.I. Colonoscopy System) – UMC’s Digestive Health Center has implemented the use of the region’s first intelligent endoscopy module called the GI Genius^TM.This computer-aided polyp detection system is powered by AI to find colorectal polyps during a colonoscopy screening. Having this technology available to our patients is a huge step in identifying suspicious lesions, which could be an indicator of colorectal cancer.The GI Genius^TM module is the first and only AI system for detection of colon polyps in the United States and UMC is proud to offer it to our patients here in El Paso.

Xenex Robot (LightStrike) - UMC was the first hospital in El Paso to acquire the Xenex Robot, a machine that blasts ultraviolet light that destroys or kills bacteria, viruses and spores. UMC was also the first hospital in El Paso to use the machine to desterilize N95 masks. This machine kills the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Single-Port Da Vinci Robot -UMC is the only hospital in El Paso to implement the use of a high-performance single-port robotic surgical system called Da Vinci SP by Intuitive. UMC is proud to continue leading the way in advanced medical technology for El Paso by introducing this new technology that gives surgeons the ability to deliver robotic-assisted surgery through a single port, instead of multiple ports. The use of the Da Vinci SP makes surgeries less invasive and allows patients to leave the hospital quicker, with less pain and less long-term difficulties.

Portable MRI (Swoop) – UMC has introduced the region’s first portable MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) system, known as the Swoop. The Swoop is revolutionizing MRI scanning by bringing the MRI system to patients, at bedside. The Swoop system is small enough to fit in elevators and through doorways, making it very maneuverable in large, busy hospital environments, such as UMC. Small and highly portable, the system is ideal for neuroimaging in intensive care units and pediatric facilities. Imaging sequences include T1, T2, FLAIR, and DWI (and accompanying ADC map). The open design of the Swoop Portable MR Imaging System provides an opportunity to reduce patient anxiety, while the innovative magnet configuration enables loved ones to stay safely at a patient’s bedside.

Octaray – UMC notched another first in the El Paso region with the successful introduction and use of the Octaray, an advanced heart-mapping catheter to cure AFib (atrial fibrillation). UMC’s surgeons are able to insert the tool, typically through a vein in the inner thigh, and thread it up through the torso until it reaches the heart. Surgeons are then able to generate a 3D image of the heart. The heart, while beating, appears on an advanced monitor above the patient, in front of the surgeon. The surgeon watches the live image built with data from the Octaray, and then uses the electrodes to adjust the rhythm of the heart, successfully ridding the patient of AFib.

2023 Chest Pain – MI Registry Award – UMC’s Chest Pain Center has received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain – MI Registry Silver Performance Achievement Award for 2023. UMC is one of only 82 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor, which recognizes the UMC Chest Pain Center’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for cardiovascular illness patients.

2024 Gold Plus Award - UMC has received the “Get With The Guidelines: Gold Plus, Target Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus, and Target Type 2 Diabetes” award, the highest recognition possible from the American Heart Association for the consecutive year (2023 and 2024). The award is given to comprehensive stroke centers that are able to achieve the highest level of quality metrics involving patient care and timing of treatments. Our recognition for excellence in stroke care comes from our advanced Neurosciences department and our only team of Neuro-critical care board certified neurologists who manage our many services relating to stroke care and neurological injuries such as the Mobile Stroke Unit.

Detection & Treatment for Barrett’s Esophagus - UMC continued its mandate of providing greater access to exceptional care for all El Pasoans by introducing new technologies, such as the treatment of cancers affecting the throat. UMC has introduced -- and remains -- the only hospital in El Paso with the state of the art equipment and trained physicians to detect and treat Barrett’s Esophagus, a precancerous condition that patients would previously be treated for by travelling far from El Paso.

UMC Outpatient Clinics - UMC recently rolled out expanded care at its new 45,000 square foot multi-service clinic facilities in east and west El Paso. Of note, now seeing patients at UMC’s large clinics is El Paso’s only female Gastroenterologist, Dr. Carmela Morales.

Excellence in Professionalism Award - UMC became one of only nine hospitals in the United States to receive the Excellence in Professionalism Award from the American Board of Certification for Gastroenterology Nurses.

HIPEC - Other treatments for cancers became new firsts for El Paso, such as the use of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) – also known as heated chemotherapy -- to treat patients with colon and ovarian cancer.

3D Mammography and Cyst Detection Imaging Systems - As we all look to the day when breast cancer is no longer a concern, UMC is leading our community in 3D imaging systems that can now detect cysts and tumors up to 40 percent sooner than traditional systems. In all of El Paso there are six American College of Radiology accredited Mammography systems – UMC has now has four of these six systems.

BrainScope Technology - UMC has also made dramatic strides forward in the adoption of new technologies – some of which have raised the standard for community expectations of healthcare excellence. One such example is the recent introduction of BrainScope technology, making UMC the first hospital in Texas to use this new technology to detect concussions resulting from sports injuries and other impacts.

Paternity Award Program - In 2023, UMC was recognized by the Texas Attorney General’s Office for its exemplary paternity program. The program helps establish paternity for unmarried parents by assisting them in completing the Acknowledgement of Paternity. This allows for biological fathers to have their names placed on their newborns birth certificate and gives them legal rights to the child. In Fiscal Year 2023, 134,979 Acknowledgement of Paternity were completed for Texas children. Every year, the Office of the Attorney General monitors every birthing hospital to ensure they are complying with the Acknowledgement of Paternity regulations. A Paternity Outreach Coordinator will monitor every birthing hospital at least three times a year to evaluate how the Acknowledgement of Paternity-certified staff is executing Acknowledgement of Paternity certificates. The awards are based off the Acknowledgement of Paternity quality control score.

ASGE Quality Star – UMC’s Digestive Health Center and Ambulatory Surgical Center West continue to be the only endoscopy units in the region to maintain the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) Quality Star status. UMC was first awarded this recognition in 2015, 2022 and again in 2024. The ASGE Endoscopy Unit Recognition Program (EURP) honoree status is earned for three years. This is the only program of its kind honoring GI endoscopy units that have demonstrated commitment to delivering high-quality, safe, patient-centered care.­­­­­­­

American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Award - For a second year, UMC has been recognized for meritorious outcomes in inpatient and outpatient surgical procedures (2023 & 2024) by The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP^®). The ACS NSQIP recognition program commends a select group of hospitals for achieving a meritorious composite score in either an “All Cases” category or in a “High Risk” case category, both of which UMC received recognition for using data from 2023. Nationwide, 78 hospitals received this distinction, of which, UMC has been among 33 hospitals to receive the distinction for two or more consecutive years.

American College of Gastroenterology SCOPY Award - UMC’s Digestive Health Center, in conjunction with Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso (TTUHSC), have been awarded the 2023 SCOPY Screening Excellence Award by the American College of Gastroenterology. This service award recognizes efforts in colorectal cancer outreach, prevention, and year-round excellence. Since 2012, the program has enrolled 41,978 people, provided 1,092 diagnostic colonoscopies and diagnosed 33 cancers. The program covers a 27-county area spanning El Paso, Hudspeth, and West Texas.

Quality Texas Foundation (QTF) Regional Program Award for Performance Excellence - The El Paso County Hospital District (Hospital District) has been selected to receive the Quality Texas Foundation (QTF) Regional Program Award for Performance Excellence, the highest-level award possible in the State of Texas.

Officials at the Quality Texas Foundation made the announcement at their headquarters earlier this week.

The Quality Texas Foundation Regional Program encourages use of the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence and other methods that drive efficiency and effectiveness.

Our Hospital District is the only healthcare organization in our community to have received this honor/award.

Level 3 Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA) - UMC's Emergency Department achieved a Level 3 Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA) in 2024 from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), emphasizing UMC’s commitment to meeting the highest standards of care for our community’s older adult patients.