UW Medicine - Awards of Distinction

UWMC ranked among the top 12 hospitals in America

University of Washington Medical Center’s exceptional performance was noted in the U.S News & World Report's 2007 rankings of “America’s Best Hospitals,” released Friday, July 13. UWMC was ranked as the 11th best hospital in the country.

Once again, UW Medical Center was rated among the top U.S. hospitals as it has been since U.S. News began rankings in 1990. Of the 5,462 hospitals considered for this year's survey, just 173 scored high enough to be ranked in any specialty area. UW Medical Center was among only 18 hospitals were to the 2007 Honor Roll of hospitals demonstrating exceptional breadth of excellence.

UWMC first ever hospital to be named a Magnet Hospital four times (PDF)
ANCC Magnet designation indicates that UWMC has one of the most desirable environments for nursing practice. This strengthens our recruitment and retention of highly qualified professionals in nursing as well as in other health care disciplines.

2008 Practice Greenhealth Environmental Leadership award
UW Medical Center for the second year in a row has received a national environmental leadership award from Practice Greenhealth. Environmental Leadership Award winners are chosen from among the top Partners for Change applications, must meet criteria for the Making Medicine Mercury-free Award, and have extensive pollution prevention and recycling programs in place. Practice Greenhealth is the result of a merger of two leading organizations - Hospitals for a Healthy Environment and the Green Guide for Health Care - with a new program - Healthcare Clean Energy Exchange.

Washington State Quality Award: Leadership Level
UW Medical Center received a 2007 Washington State Quality Award at the Leadership level. WSQA, the nonprofit authorized by the Legislature to grant the awards, uses Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence and has recognized high-performing organizations for 13 years.