New report shows the most unsafe hospitals in western WA. See if your hospital is listed
Western Washington has some of the safest hospitals in the U.S., but they’re not all equal, a new report shows.
The Leapfrog Group — a national nonprofit that has collected and published data on patient safety and quality care for more than two decades — recently released its fall 2024 Hospital Safety Grades. Hospitals were scored with A through F letter grades.
Overall Washington ranked 17th among states with safest hospitals, with 32.7% of its facilities earning an A ranking. That position is an improvement from 25th place in a spring 2024 ranking from the same nonprofit, with only 25.5% of facilities earning an A ranking.
However, among the 49 Washington hospitals reviewed, 1 received a D ranking and 25 earned a C ranking. No Washington state hospital received an F grade.
“Despite improvements seen in this fall’s Safety Grade, significant variation in performance remains across U.S. hospitals,” Leah Binder, President and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, said in a press release. “That’s why it’s so important for people to consult grades when making decisions about seeking care. All hospitals are not the same.”
How are hospitals rated safe or unsafe?
Leapfrog grades the safety of hospitals in the U.S. based on how well they prevent medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections that kill or harm patients. About 30 measures are used to generate the safety grades.
The grades are assigned using publicly available data. Measures’ scores are calculated using patient responses to a national and standardized survey following a hospital visit.
Below are the Washington hospitals with the worst safety ratings. The entire list, including those that received A and B grades, is available online.
Most unsafe western WA hospitals
D Grade
Cascade Valley Hospital
330 S. Stillaguamish Avenue
Arlington, WA 98223-1642
C Grade
Skagit Valley Hospital
300 Hospital Parkway
Mount Vernon, WA 98273-1376
Harborview Medical Center
325 Ninth Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104-2499
University of Washington Medical Center - Montlake Campus
1959 NE Pacific Street
Seattle, WA 98195-6151
University of Washington Medical Center - Northwest Campus
1550 N. 115th Street
Seattle, WA 98133-8401
Valley Medical Center
400 S. 43rd Street
Renton, WA 98058-5010
Overlake Hospital Medical Center
1035 116th Avenue NE
Bellevue, WA 98004-4604
Providence Regional Medical Center Everett
1700 13th Street
Everett, WA 98201-1689
Evergreen Health Monroe
14701 179th Ave SE
Monroe, WA 98272-1108
Island Health (formerly Island Hospital)
1211 24th Street
Anacortes, WA 98221-2590
MultiCare Allenmore Hospital
1901 S. Union Avenue
Tacoma, WA 98405
Olympic Medical Center
939 Caroline Street
Port Angeles, WA 98362-3997
Providence St. Peter Hospital
413 Lilly Road NE
Olympia, WA 98506-5166
PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center
1615 Delaware Street
Longview, WA 98632-2310
Providence Centralia Hospital
914 S. Scheuber Road
Centralia, WA 98531-9027
Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center
2211 NE 139th Street
Vancouver, WA 98686-2742
Harbor Regional Health Community Hospital
915 Anderson Drive
Aberdeen, WA 98520-1097
Key improvements nationwide
Since Leapfrog reported Hospital Safety Grades in fall 2022, when health care-associated infection (HAI) rates were at their highest peak since 2016, average HAI scores have dropped significantly.
- Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) decreased by 38%
- Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) decreased by 36%
- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) decreased by 34%
This story was originally published November 20, 2024 at 9:26 AM.
