CMS certification 500008
University of Washington Medical Ctr
1959 NE Pacific St Box 356151, Seattle, WA 98195
University of Washington Medical Ctr has a CMS overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. 80% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. Of the 27 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 5 and worse on 1. Emergency patients spend a median of 4 h 26 min in its emergency department before leaving (US median 2 h 42 min).
Every figure on this page is published by CMS; we arrange and explain it, and score nothing ourselves.
What patients said
Answers from patients who stayed here, collected by CMS in the national HCAHPS survey: 4,925 completed surveys, 24% response rate, Oct 2024 – Sep 2025.
Emergency department
How long emergency patients spent here and how some time-critical care went, from CMS's timely and effective care measures, Oct 2024 – Sep 2025. CMS classes this emergency department's patient volume as very high; busier departments tend to have longer times, so the national median for departments of the same volume is shown too. These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.
| Measure | This hospital | WA | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median time in the emergency department before leaving Lower is better · 350 visits sampled · US median for EDs of the same volume: 3 h 21 min | 4 h 26 min | 2 h 31 min | 2 h 42 min |
| Median time for psychiatric and mental health patients Lower is better · 28 visits sampled | 5 h 28 min | 3 h 58 min | 4 h 17 min |
| Left before being seen Lower is better · 76,553 patients | 4% | 3% | 2% |
| Stroke symptoms: brain scan read within 45 minutes Higher is better · 13 patients | 62% | 62% | 69% |
| Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 302 patients | 63% | 60% | 65% |
How University of Washington Medical Ctr compares with nearby hospitals
The closest hospitals of the same kind that CMS rates or surveys - the same city first, then the same county and ZIP area. Every figure is CMS's: the overall star rating, the share of patients who would definitely recommend the hospital, the median time emergency patients spent before leaving, and how many death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS found better or worse than the national rate.
| Hospital | CMS stars | Would recommend | ER median time | Vs the nation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Washington Medical CtrThis hospital | 4/5 | 80% | 4 h 26 min | 5 better 1 worse |
| Swedish Medical CenterSame city | 4/5 | 74% | 2 h 24 min | 2 better |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry HillSame city | 4/5 | 76% | 3 h 6 min | 2 better |
| Kaiser Permanente Central HospitalSame city | Not rated | 59% | — | No different |
| Seattle VA Medical Center (VA Puget Sound Healthcare System)Same city | 4/5 | 72% | — | 4 better 2 worse |
| Harborview Medical CenterSame city | 2/5 | 71% | 4 h 59 min | 1 better 2 worse |
Hospitals differ in size and in how sick their patients are. CMS adjusts its outcome measures for that, but a star or a percentage is a starting point for questions, not a verdict. All hospitals in Seattle.
Deaths
How many patients died within 30 days of admission, adjusted by CMS for how sick they were. Lower is better. Data from Jul 2022 – Jun 2025.
| Measure | CMS comparison | This hospital | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| All patients, hospital-wide 5,179 cases | Too few cases | 2.6% | 3.9% |
| Heart attack 169 cases | Too few cases | 12.6% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure 643 cases | Too few cases | 10.4% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 522 cases | Too few cases | 13.6% | 15.2% |
| Stroke 256 cases | Too few cases | 10.1% | 11.9% |
| COPD 123 cases | Too few cases | 8.3% | 8.6% |
| Heart bypass surgery (CABG) 33 cases | Too few cases | 2.5% | 2.4% |
Complications
How often patients had serious complications, most of them after surgery, adjusted for how sick they were. Lower is better. Data from Jul 2022 – Jun 2024.
| Measure | CMS comparison | This hospital | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serious complications, combined measure | No different | 0.87 likely 0.68 – 1.06 | 1 |
| After hip or knee replacement 136 cases | Too few cases | 3.9% | 4.1% |
| Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 295 cases | No different | 171.77 per 1,000 likely 137.68 per 1,000 – 205.86 per 1,000 | 173.3 per 1,000 |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 11,531 cases | No different | 0.85 per 1,000 likely 0.42 per 1,000 – 1.28 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 12,916 cases | No different | 0.31 per 1,000 likely 0.14 per 1,000 – 0.48 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 13,941 cases | No different | 0.31 per 1,000 likely 0.14 per 1,000 – 0.48 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 4,648 cases | No different | 3.24 per 1,000 likely 2.26 per 1,000 – 4.23 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 3,007 cases | No different | 0.99 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 2.05 per 1,000 | 1.67 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 2,791 cases | Better | 4.94 per 1,000 likely 1.58 per 1,000 – 8.3 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 5,095 cases | No different | 3.81 per 1,000 likely 2.43 per 1,000 – 5.19 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Sepsis after surgery 3,047 cases | Better | 2.48 per 1,000 likely 0.42 per 1,000 – 4.54 per 1,000 | 5.27 per 1,000 |
| Surgical wound splitting open 1,296 cases | No different | 1.73 per 1,000 likely 0.45 per 1,000 – 3.02 per 1,000 | 1.77 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 3,356 cases | No different | 1.14 per 1,000 likely 0.41 per 1,000 – 1.87 per 1,000 | 1.06 per 1,000 |
Infections caught in the hospital
Standardized infection ratio: 1.0 means as many infections as CMS predicted for a hospital like this one. Lower is better. Data from Oct 2024 – Sep 2025.
| Measure | CMS comparison | This hospital | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloodstream infections from central lines (CLABSI) | No different | 1.17 likely 0.87 – 1.53 | 1 |
| Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) | No different | 1.23 likely 0.87 – 1.68 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after colon surgery | No different | 1.26 likely 0.75 – 2.01 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after abdominal hysterectomy | No different | 1.72 likely 0.7 – 3.58 | 1 |
| MRSA bloodstream infections | No different | 0.92 likely 0.5 – 1.56 | 1 |
| C. diff intestinal infections | Better | 0.42 likely 0.3 – 0.57 | 1 |
Readmissions and return visits
How often patients had to come back to a hospital after going home. Lower is better. Data from Jul 2023 – Jun 2025.
| Measure | CMS comparison | This hospital | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Readmitted after a heart attack 288 cases | Too few cases | 13.7% | 14.4% |
| Readmitted after heart failure 887 cases | Too few cases | 20.2% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 649 cases | Too few cases | 17.2% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 173 cases | Too few cases | 20.6% | 20% |
| Readmitted after heart bypass surgery 34 cases | Too few cases | 11.5% | 11% |
| Readmitted after hip or knee replacement 138 cases | Too few cases | 5.6% | 5.8% |
| Days back in hospital after a heart attack 213 cases | Too few cases | -17.4 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 730 cases | Too few cases | -32.1 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 543 cases | Too few cases | 12 days per 100 | — |
| Unplanned visits after an outpatient colonoscopy 2,084 cases | No different | 12.9 per 1,000 likely 10.1 per 1,000 – 16.3 per 1,000 | 13 per 1,000 |
| Hospital admissions during outpatient chemotherapy 540 cases | Better | 8.1 per 100 likely 6 per 100 – 10.6 per 100 | 10.7 per 100 |
| ER visits during outpatient chemotherapy 540 cases | No different | 5 per 100 likely 3.6 per 100 – 6.8 per 100 | 5.4 per 100 |
| Unplanned visits after outpatient surgery 2,118 cases | Better | 0.8 likely 0.7 – 1 | — |
1 more measure had too few cases here to report.
Clinicians registered at this address
3,515 clinicians give this hospital's street address as their practice location in NPPES, the federal provider registry, plus 1,066 residents and trainees. The same address can take in offices and clinics in the building, and a listing does not prove admitting privileges or current employment.
| Specialty | Clinicians |
|---|---|
| Anesthesiology | 187 |
| Pharmacist | 156 |
| Diagnostic Radiology | 144 |
| Internal Medicine | 141 |
| Physician Assistant | 122 |
| Nurse Anesthetist, Certified Registered | 109 |
| Registered Nurse | 102 |
| Hospitalist | 99 |
| Family | 89 |
| Psychiatry | 76 |
| Respiratory Therapist, Registered | 76 |
| Dentist | 74 |
First 12 alphabetically
Money from drug and device companies
Drug and device makers have to report what they pay teaching hospitals to CMS's Open Payments program. At many teaching hospitals most of it is research funding, or royalties for inventions the hospital licensed to a company. A payment on its own does not show a conflict of interest.
- 2019 $42.2M
- 2020 $47.4M
- 2021 $50.4M
- 2022 $55.9M
- 2023 $55.7M
- 2024 $58.9M
- 2025 $70.7M
What the 2025 general payments were for
| Type of payment | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Grants | $3.2M | 102 |
| Speaking, teaching and other services | $3M | 98 |
| Royalties and licensing fees | $3M | 96 |
| Space rental and facility fees | $231,910 | 43 |
| Education | $107,229 | 79 |
| Consulting fees | $101,705 | 4 |
| Medical devices and supplies on long-term loan | $100,044 | 35 |
| Faculty and speaker fees for medical education | $69,000 | 1 |
| Debt forgiveness | $7,395 | 3 |
| Charitable contributions | $5,250 | 2 |
| Travel and lodging | $4,220 | 1 |
| Food and beverage | $869 | 4 |
Largest paying companies, 2025
| Company | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Amgen Inc. | $15.6M | 10 |
| Pfizer INC. | $6M | 179 |
| Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC | $5.3M | 59 |
| Genentech, Inc. | $4.8M | 101 |
| Janssen Research & Development, LLC | $4.2M | 185 |
| Novo Nordisk AS | $2.7M | 5 |
| E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | $2.1M | 36 |
| AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP | $2M | 19 |
Largest research studies funded here, 2025
| Study | Amount |
|---|---|
| A Phase 1/2 Open-label Study to Investigate the Safety, Efficacy, and Pharmacokinetics of Administration of Subcutaneous Blinatumomab for the Treatme… Amgen Inc. | $14.3M |
| THE MICROBIOLOGY AND CLINICAL OUTCOMES OF MODERATE TO SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS IN HOSPITALIZED ADULTS AFTER THE COVID19 PANDEMIC MAY 11 20… PFIZER INC. | $1.4M |
| Emicizumab in Acquired Hemophilia Genentech, Inc. | $1.1M |
| Remotely-monitored Exercise to Enhance Functional Outcomes in Patients with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) Initiating Sotatercept Therapy: A S… Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC | $940,915 |
| A Phase 1 Study of JNJ-78278343, a T-Cell-Redirecting Agent Targeting Human Kallikrein 2 (KLK2), for Advanced Prostate Cancer Janssen Research & Development, LLC | $879,066 |
| A Phase 1, Multicenter, Open-Label, Dose-Escalation, and Dose-Expansion Study to Evaluate the Safety, Pharmacokinetics, and Anti-Tumor Activity of AR… Janssen Research & Development, LLC | $837,380 |
| A PHASE 2 STUDY OF BRENTUXIMAB VEDOTIN IN COMBINATION WITH PEMBROLIZUMAB IN SUBJECTS WITH METASTATIC SOLID MALIGNANCIES PFIZER INC. | $741,855 |
| Beamion LUNG-1: An open label, Phase I dose escalation trial, with dose confirmation and expansion, of zongertinib (BI 1810631) as monotherapy in pat… Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | $722,970 |
Amounts are as the paying companies reported them to CMS; Open Payments data retrieved 13 Sep 2026. Full record on CMS Open Payments.
How to read this page
- Everything here is published by CMS on Care Compare. We arrange it and explain it; the star ratings and the better / worse verdicts are CMS's, not ours.
- “No different” is the most common result on most measures at most hospitals. CMS only calls a result better or worse when the difference from the national rate is statistically clear.
- Death, complication and readmission rates are adjusted by CMS for how sick patients were, so hospitals that treat sicker patients can be compared fairly.
- Infection results are ratios: 1.0 means as many infections as CMS predicted for a hospital like this one, below 1.0 is fewer.
- These are hospital-wide results. They do not rate an individual doctor, nurse or department, and they are not medical advice.
CMS Care Compare data retrieved 4 Oct 2026, refreshed weekly. Where this data comes from and how we handle it · Report an error
Common questions about University of Washington Medical Ctr
Is University of Washington Medical Ctr a good hospital?
University of Washington Medical Ctr has a CMS overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. Of the 27 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 5 and worse on 1. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend University of Washington Medical Ctr?
80% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 4,925 completed HCAHPS surveys.
How long is the wait in the University of Washington Medical Ctr emergency room?
Emergency patients spend a median of 4 h 26 min in its emergency department before leaving (US median 2 h 42 min). Among US emergency departments with very high patient volume, like this one, the median is 3 h 21 min. 4% of emergency patients left before being seen (US 2%). These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.
Does University of Washington Medical Ctr receive money from drug and device companies?
Drug and device makers reported $70.7M in payments to University of Washington Medical Ctr for 2025, most of it research funding, under the federal Open Payments program. A payment on its own does not show a conflict of interest.