In 1952, the first year the hospital was open, it employed 535 health care workers, recorded nearly 12,000 patient admissions and about 3000 clinic visits. Currently the University of North Carolina Hospitals employs approximately 5000 people, admits more than 27,000 patients, accommodates roughly 500,000 patient visits, and provides services ranging from burn care to lung transplants.

In just 51 years, UNC Hospitals has become a teaching institution of national stature with many of its programs, research and treatment centers ranked among the top 100 in US News and World Report. Located in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's outstanding academic medical center and in partnership with the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine; UNC Hospitals are a major health care resource for North Carolinians, as well as many others who travel from all over the southeast to receive specialized care. The mission of UNC Hospitals is to provide high quality health care, educate health care professionals, to stay at the forefront of medical research and to provide community service.

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations, the national accrediting agency for hospitals, has recognized the outstanding performance at UNC Hospitals, and places it in the top 10 percent of hospitals in the United States.