CMS certification 500011
Highline Medical Center
16251 Sylvester Road SW, Burien, WA 98166
Highline Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. 60% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. Of the 20 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 3 and worse on none. Emergency patients spend a median of 3 h 55 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: 581 completed surveys, 16% 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 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 · 370 visits sampled · US median for EDs of the same volume: 3 h 22 min | 3 h 55 min | 2 h 31 min | 2 h 42 min |
| Median time for psychiatric and mental health patients Lower is better · 20 visits sampled | 6 h 55 min | 3 h 58 min | 4 h 17 min |
| Left before being seen Lower is better · 41,043 patients | 4% | 3% | 2% |
| Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 273 patients | 64% | 60% | 65% |
How Highline Medical Center 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highline Medical CenterThis hospital | 4/5 | 60% | 3 h 55 min | 3 better |
| University of Washington Medical CtrSame county · Seattle | 4/5 | 80% | 4 h 26 min | 5 better 1 worse |
| Swedish Medical CenterSame county · Seattle | 4/5 | 74% | 2 h 24 min | 2 better |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry HillSame county · Seattle | 4/5 | 76% | 3 h 6 min | 2 better |
| Kaiser Permanente Central HospitalSame county · Seattle | Not rated | 59% | — | No different |
| Seattle VA Medical Center (VA Puget Sound Healthcare System)Same county · Seattle | 4/5 | 72% | — | 4 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.
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 1,505 cases | Too few cases | 3.2% | 3.9% |
| Heart attack 36 cases | Too few cases | 11.8% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure 191 cases | Too few cases | 11.3% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 173 cases | Too few cases | 10.8% | 15.2% |
| Stroke 112 cases | Too few cases | 8.8% | 11.9% |
| COPD 57 cases | Too few cases | 8.6% | 8.6% |
1 more measure had too few cases here to report.
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 | 0.9 likely 0.47 – 1.34 | 1 |
| After hip or knee replacement 28 cases | Too few cases | 5.7% | 4.1% |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 1,752 cases | No different | 0.34 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 1.33 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 2,114 cases | No different | 0.19 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 0.42 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 2,081 cases | No different | 0.25 per 1,000 likely 0.04 per 1,000 – 0.47 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 227 cases | No different | 2.25 per 1,000 likely 0.54 per 1,000 – 3.95 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 53 cases | No different | 1.65 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 3.37 per 1,000 | 1.67 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 52 cases | No different | 8.05 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 17.48 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 249 cases | No different | 4.47 per 1,000 likely 1.99 per 1,000 – 6.95 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Sepsis after surgery 39 cases | No different | 5.05 per 1,000 likely 0.79 per 1,000 – 9.31 per 1,000 | 5.27 per 1,000 |
| Surgical wound splitting open 67 cases | No different | 1.74 per 1,000 likely 0.22 per 1,000 – 3.26 per 1,000 | 1.77 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 302 cases | No different | 1 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 2.06 per 1,000 | 1.06 per 1,000 |
1 more measure had too few cases here to report.
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 | 0 | 1 |
| Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) | No different | 0.79 likely 0.13 – 2.6 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after colon surgery | No different | 0 | 1 |
| MRSA bloodstream infections | No different | 0 | 1 |
| C. diff intestinal infections | Better | 0.26 likely 0.07 – 0.72 | 1 |
1 more measure had too few cases here to report.
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 56 cases | Too few cases | 14.2% | 14.4% |
| Readmitted after heart failure 387 cases | Too few cases | 21.6% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 333 cases | Too few cases | 17.7% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 152 cases | Too few cases | 20.8% | 20% |
| Readmitted after hip or knee replacement 36 cases | Too few cases | 5.8% | 5.8% |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 210 cases | Too few cases | -17.7 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 173 cases | Too few cases | -8.2 days per 100 | — |
| Unplanned visits after an outpatient colonoscopy 753 cases | No different | 13 per 1,000 likely 9.9 per 1,000 – 17.3 per 1,000 | 13 per 1,000 |
| Hospital admissions during outpatient chemotherapy 53 cases | No different | 10.2 per 100 likely 7 per 100 – 14.5 per 100 | 10.7 per 100 |
| ER visits during outpatient chemotherapy 53 cases | No different | 4.6 per 100 likely 2.9 per 100 – 7.1 per 100 | 5.4 per 100 |
| Unplanned visits after outpatient surgery 124 cases | No different | 1 likely 0.7 – 1.4 | — |
3 more measures had too few cases here to report.
Clinicians registered at this address
97 clinicians give this hospital's street address as their practice location in NPPES, the federal provider registry. 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 |
|---|---|
| Pharmacist | 21 |
| Emergency Medicine | 17 |
| Anesthesiology | 14 |
| Hospitalist | 11 |
| Physician Assistant | 8 |
| Internal Medicine | 4 |
| Clinical Pathology/Laboratory Medicine | 3 |
| Physical Therapist | 3 |
| Diagnostic Radiology | 2 |
| Gerontology | 2 |
| Mental Health | 2 |
| Clinical | 1 |
First 12 alphabetically
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 Highline Medical Center
Is Highline Medical Center a good hospital?
Highline Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. Of the 20 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 3 and worse on none. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend Highline Medical Center?
60% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 581 completed HCAHPS surveys.
How long is the wait in the Highline Medical Center emergency room?
Emergency patients spend a median of 3 h 55 min in its emergency department before leaving (US median 2 h 42 min). Among US emergency departments with high patient volume, like this one, the median is 3 h 22 min. 4% of emergency patients left before being seen (US 2%). These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.