2005 Report to the Community

Dear Friend,

For more than a century, Harborview Medical Center, owned by King County and an integral part of UW Medicine, has been meeting the health-care needs of our community. As the Level I trauma and burn center for Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho (WAMI region), we are committed to providing access to high-quality health care for people from all walks of life - ranging from our mission populations of the underserved to those with substantial resources to obtain medical care at any facility in the world.

In fiscal year 2005, we continued to resopnd to the growing needs of our community with more than 87,000 visits to our emergency room. While more than 35 percent of Harborview's revenue comes from privately insured patients, our level of charity care rose to an unprecedented $98 million, up from $93 million in FY2004 and $55 million in FY2003.

Serving an increasing number of underinsured and uninsured patients requires a community effort. As the state's largest provider of charity care, we continue to work with local health-care organizations to advocate for regional safety net access, by all providers, to care for the rising number of vulnerable patient populations.

As we look back over the past year, there are many accomplishments that deserve special mention. Listed below are some examples. 

Centers of Emphasis:
Patient Stories

• Served record volumes of patients, safely and effectively managing 95-100 percent occupancy – the highest occupancy in the state. 
• Served sicker and more severely injured patients than in years past. 
• Implemented all national patient safety goals. 
• Implemented more than 75 process improvement initiatives, saving Harborview over $21.5 million. 
• Achieved a high patient satisfaction score, with 95 percent of patients indicating they would recommend Harborview to their friends and family for care. 
• Achieved a stronger payor mix, allowing us to meet our financial goals and demonstrate our continued financial viability. 
• Continued to upgrade information systems, allowing us to better serve both patients and employees. 
• Maintained an employee turnover rate of less than 10 percent compared to close to 16 percent for the region. 
• Received the American Medical Association Institute for Ethics Award for developing exemplary programs to improve health-care communication with diverse patient populations. 
• Received the Congressional Health and Human Services (HHS) Medal of Honor Award for increasing organ donation rates. 
• Received the King County Mental Health, Chemical Abuse and Dependency Services 2005 Exemplary Service Award for housing partnerships. 
• Earned our three-year re-accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities and received marks of “exemplary conformance to the standards” in 10 areas. 
• Earned high marks and our three-year re-accreditation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). 
• Ranked in the top three in the nation in rehabilitation services by U.S. News & World Report. 
• Completed outreach education about Harborview with a number of outlying communities, as well as local business and community leaders. 
• Began construction for our voter-approved bond project to seismically stabilize the medical center and add 50 beds, eight operating rooms and support space.

We are proud of our staff and the care they provide to people from all walks of life. They have earned the confidence and trust of their patients and their families. Patients know they will be treated with compassion and sensitivity by teams of specialists who have the most up-to-date knowledge, are involved in the latest research, and have the best technology available. That is what people expect when they come here for care.

Every day there are miracles at Harborview, miracles that couldn't be achieved without the dedication and commitment of a wide variety of people including the community, staff, volunteers and donors. Together, we work toward a greater good - people helping people.

We invite you to read stories about our patients and their care. We're sure you'll understand why Harborview Medical Center is a regional treasure.

Sincerely,

David E. Jaffe Executive Director	Johnese Spisso Chief Operating Officer	Dr. Scott Barnhart Medical Director