University of Washington Medical Ctr
An acute care hospital in Seattle, Washington 98195
1959 NE Pacific St Box 356151, Seattle, Washington 98195. (206) 598-3300.
- Medicare payments cut under the HAC Reduction Program (fiscal year 2026)
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The short answer
Record last released by CMS on Oct 20, 2026.
- 4of 5 CMS’s overall rating
- 4of 5 patient survey rating
- 1 deficiency cited in the last three years
- 450 beds
Each figure’s source sits beside it, in its section below.
What these words mean3
- Star ratings
- CMS rates some kinds of place from 1 to 5 stars, more stars meaning better on CMS’s own measures for that kind: for a nursing home, its health inspections, staffing and quality measures. A rating is CMS’s summary of those measures; it doesn’t promise good care. Source: CMS, Care Compare and the Five-Star Quality Rating System.
- Inspection (survey)
- A visit by state inspectors, often unannounced, who check a place against the rules it must meet. For nursing homes and other places Medicare pays, CMS calls these visits surveys: a standard survey of a nursing home comes at least every 15 months, and a complaint survey whenever a complaint calls for one. Source: CMS; 42 CFR 488.308.
- Deficiency, citation, violation
- What inspectors write up when a place didn’t meet a rule: the rule, what they saw, and when. CMS calls it a deficiency; states may say citation or violation. It is the inspectors’ finding, not a court’s, and the place is usually asked for a plan to correct it. Source: CMS, statement of deficiencies (Form CMS-2567); each state’s licensing agency.
What did inspectors find?
The last inspection on record was on Jun 22, 2026: a complaint inspection.
1 deficiency cited in the last three years.
CMS, QCOR Hospital 2567 statements of deficiencies. Released Oct 20, 2026. Updated monthly.
When those deficiencies happened
1 deficiency in 1 month of the last 36. Last cited Nov 2025. Most serious: Standard-level. The last 3 years, to Nov 5, 2026.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Dec | |||||||||||
| 2024 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 2025 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 2026 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov |
Hover or focus a month to read it.
Hearth Record drew this from the dates and levels in the source’s own records.
Each deficiency, as cited
Rule titles as CMS’s inspectors cite them, set in sentence case.
CMS, QCOR Hospital 2567 statements of deficiencies. Released Oct 20, 2026. Updated monthly.
Nov 24, 2025: complaint inspection1 deficiency
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Pharmacy Drug Records
The inspectors’ words, 1,039 words
“PHARMACY DRUG RECORDS CFR(s): 482.25(a)(3) Current and accurate records must be kept of the receipt and distribution of all scheduled drugs. This Standard is not met as evidenced by: 42597 . Based on interview and document review, the hospital failed to develop and implement effective policies and procedures to identify and investigate controlled substance diversion in a timely manner. Failure to develop and implement effective policies and procedures to identify and investigate controlled substance diversion in a timely manner may result in prolonged opportunity for unauthorized medication removal and places patients at risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens, inadequate sedation or pain control, and/or harm due to substandard care delivered by an impaired practitioner. It also places staff at risk of harm or death due to unintended overdose. Reference: American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP) Guidelines on Preventing Diversion of Controlled Substances Findings included: 1. Review of the hospital policy titled, “Drug Diversion Investigation and Response (UW Medicine),” revisions 12/22 and 09/25, showed: a. Drug diversion is defined as intentionally and without proper authorization, using or taking possession of a prescription medication or anesthetic gas from UW Medicine supplies, UW Medicine patients, UW Medicine property, or using UW Medicine prescription, ordering, or dispensing systems. b. Prevention of drug diversion is essential to the safety of UW Medicine patients, faculty, and staff and is the individual responsibility of every UW Medicine workforce member. Review of the hospital policy titled, “Controlled Substances: Auditing and Surveillance,” last reviewed 05/23, showed: a. Controlled substance audits will be conducted on a regular basis to verify compliance with applicable policies and regulations and identify potential diversion. b. Pharmacy staff will conduct audits of controlled substance (CS) transactions and documentation. c. The policy did not establish a clear mechanism to ensure timely identification and reporting of potential diversion incidents involving all staff categories with access to CS or non-controlled substances commonly subject to diversion, such as diphenhydramine or ondansetron. Additionally, the policy did not define expectations for the use of the hospital’s BD HealthSight Diversion Management (HSDM) system (an artificial intelligence-based platform that analyzes multiple factors related to controlled substance handling to create a risk score for staff with access to CS). 2. On 09/30/25 between 1:30 PM and 3:30 PM, and on 10/03/25 from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM, the investigator conducted record review and interviews with the Director of Pharmacy (Staff #1), the Inpatient Pharmacy Manager (Staff #2), and the Drug Diversion Prevention Manager (Staff #3). Record review and interviews showed: a. Staff #1 and Staff #2 stated that weekly hospital-wide Pyxis reports are generated, which include categories such as whole-dose waste, unreconciled transactions, unresolved discrepancies, and delayed waste. Reports for non controlled substances commonly associated with diversion are not run regularly. Retrospective audits of individual nursing units are conducted at a rate of approximately four to five units per week. Staff members with unreconciled transactions are notified via email and requested to provide resolution, with the respective manager copied on the communication. A response is expected within seven days; if no response is received, the system automatically generates and sends a second notification. Nursing managers are not expected to track or trend staff responses. Staff #1 and Staff #2 stated that the hospital uses the HSDM system to provide enhanced surveillance of controlled substance handling. The system performs peer comparison analyses and assigns risk scores to staff authorized to access and administer controlled substances. Pharmacy staff perform risk score audits; however, due to the large number of employees, only 2-3 staff with the highest risk scores are further. Anesthesiologists and certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) are not currently included in the HSDM audit or monitoring process. Nursing managers do not have assigned staff surveillance duties through the HSDM system. b. Staff #3 identified two cases of potential diversion. Staff #26 Staff #26 was an anesthesia resident rotating between 4 area hospitals. In December 2024, Pharmacy staff reported Staff #26 to anesthesia leadership in due to a high number of whole dose controlled substance waste transactions. The preliminary investigation concluded that high patient volume accounted for the elevated number of waste transactions. A peer comparison analysis was not performed, and enhanced surveillance measures were not implemented. This was the second system diversion allegation involving Staff #6. In February 2025, the hospital was notified by an outside facility of confirmed controlled substance diversion by Staff #26. Staff #27 In June 2025, pharmacy staff generated a retrospective hospital-wide Pyxis report for whole-dose waste that identified Staff #27 as an outlier for hydromorphone (a CS used for pain management). Pharmacy staff reviewed reports from March through June 2025, which showed that Staff #27’s hydromorphone transactions had progressively increased between March and June 2025 and remained undetected for approximately four months before being identified through retrospective audit review. 3. On 10/01/25 at 10:00 AM, the investigator interviewed the interim emergency department manager (Staff #9). Staff #9 stated that he had been unaware of Staff #27’s increase in hydromorphone usage until notified by pharmacy staff. Staff #9 demonstrated access to the HSDM software but stated that he wasn’t aware of any usage requirements for diversion surveillance. 4. On 10/01/25 at 10:45 AM, the investigator interviewed the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) manager (Staff #10) and the Operating Room manager (Staff #11). Staff #10 and Staff #11 each stated that they did not track or trend pharmacy emails related to unresolved discrepancies and confirmed that they did not have access to HSDM surveillance tools. 5. On 10/01/25 at 1:20 PM, the investigator interviewed the oncology intensive care unit manager (Staff #13). Staff #13 stated that he does not track or trend the pharmacy emails. Staff #13 demonstrated how to access to HSDM but stated that he is not aware of any required process for manager usage of HSDM surveillance tools. 6. On 10/01/25 at 12:20 PM, the investigator interviewed the anesthesiologist in charge for the day (Staff #12). Staff #12 stated that if concerns were raised about potential diversion of CSs by a provider or resident, the concern would typically be reported to the appropriate program director or department head for review. Depending on the degree of concern, the Director of Pharmacy or Drug Diversion Prevention Manager might be notified. .”
All 3 inspections in the last three years
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 22, 2026 | Complaint inspection | No deficiencies cited |
| Nov 24, 2025 | Complaint inspection | 1 deficiency cited |
| Dec 11, 2023 | Complaint inspection | No deficiencies cited |
How do patients fare?
- CMS’s overall CMS rates some kinds of place from 1 to 5 stars, more stars meaning better on CMS’s own measures for that kind: for a nursing home, its health inspections, staffing and quality measures. A rating is CMS’s summary of those measures; it doesn’t promise good care. Source: CMS, Care Compare and the Five-Star Quality Rating System. for it is 4 of 5.
- Of the measures behind its CMS rates some kinds of place from 1 to 5 stars, more stars meaning better on CMS’s own measures for that kind: for a nursing home, its health inspections, staffing and quality measures. A rating is CMS’s summary of those measures; it doesn’t promise good care. Source: CMS, Care Compare and the Five-Star Quality Rating System., CMS counts against the national value: mortality, 1 better and 0 worse of 8; safety of care, 1 better and 0 worse of 8; readmission, 3 better and 1 worse of 11.
- Patients rate it 4 of 5 in CMS’s patient survey (4,925 surveys completed, Oct 1, 2024 to Sep 30, 2025): 76% rated it 9 or 10 out of 10, and 80% would definitely recommend it.
- Infections, compared by CMS with the national benchmark (Oct 1, 2024 to Sep 30, 2025): central line bloodstream infections (CLABSI), no different than national benchmark; catheter urinary tract infections (CAUTI), no different than national benchmark; surgical site infections after colon surgery, no different than national benchmark; surgical site infections after abdominal hysterectomy, no different than national benchmark; MRSA bloodstream infections, no different than national benchmark; C. diff infections, better than the national benchmark.
- CMS’s patient safety composite for serious complications, PSI 90, Jul 1, 2022 to Jun 30, 2024: no different than the national value.
- Deaths within 30 days, as CMS gives them (Jul 1, 2022 to Jun 30, 2025): heart attack 12.6%, heart failure 10.4%, pneumonia 13.6%, COPD 8.3%, stroke 10.1%, heart bypass surgery 2.5%. CMS gives no comparison with the national rate for them in this release.
- Readmissions within 30 days, as CMS gives them (Jul 1, 2023 to Jun 30, 2025): heart attack 13.7%, heart failure 20.2%, pneumonia 17.2%, COPD 20.6%, heart bypass surgery 11.5%, hip or knee replacement 5.6%. CMS gives no comparison with the national rate for them in this release.
- After outpatient care, compared by CMS: unplanned hospital visits after a colonoscopy, no different than the national rate; hospital admissions after outpatient chemotherapy, better than the national rate; emergency visits after outpatient chemotherapy, no different than the national rate; unplanned hospital visits after outpatient surgery, better than expected.
- Emergency department patients spent a median of 266 minutes there before leaving (Oct 1, 2024 to Sep 30, 2025), and 4% left before being seen.
- 63% of patients with severe sepsis or septic shock got the care CMS measures, SEP-1 (Oct 1, 2024 to Sep 30, 2025).
- Medicare’s spending per patient here is 0.97 times the national median (Jan 1, 2024 to Dec 31, 2024).
CMS, Hospital General Information, Patient survey (HCAHPS) - Hospital, Healthcare Associated Infections - Hospital, Timely and Effective Care - Hospital and Medicare Spending Per Beneficiary - Hospital. Released Aug 13, 2026. Updated quarterly.
CMS, Complications and Deaths - Hospital and Unplanned Hospital Visits - Hospital. Released Sep 30, 2026. Updated quarterly.
| Measure | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall ratingCMS’s overall hospital quality star rating, 1 to 5 | 4 of 5 |
| Patient survey ratingCMS star rating from its survey of the hospital’s patients (HCAHPS), 1 to 5 | 4 of 5 |
Is it certified, and in good standing?
- Medicare-certified acute care hospital since Jul 1, 1966.
- Ownership: government - state.
- It is accredited by The Joint Commission, whose surveys stand in for the state’s routine inspections.
- No For hospices, home health agencies, hospitals and dialysis facilities, CMS writes deficiencies at two levels. Standard is the usual one; condition-level is the more serious, when a problem is serious enough that the provider doesn’t meet a whole condition of taking part in Medicare. Source: CMS, State Operations Manual. deficiency on record in the last three years.
- It has an inpatient rehabilitation unit of 16 beds, which CMS lists apart as a rehabilitation facility.
- Government - State.
CMS, Provider of Services File - Hospital & Non-Hospital Facilities. Released Oct 14, 2026. Updated quarterly.
CMS, Hospital General Information. Released Aug 13, 2026. Updated quarterly.
CMS, QCOR Hospital 2567 statements of deficiencies. Released Oct 20, 2026. Updated monthly.
Has it been penalized?
- CMS doesn’t publish fines or other penalties for hospitals.
- CMS cut its Medicare payments by 1% for fiscal year 2026 under the Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program, which does so for the quarter of hospitals that fare worst on conditions patients get in hospital.
- 1 deficiency cited in the last three years came from an inspection that included a complaint investigation.
CMS, Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction Program. Released Aug 13, 2026. Updated yearly.
CMS, Provider of Services File - Hospital & Non-Hospital Facilities. Released Oct 14, 2026. Updated quarterly.
CMS, QCOR Hospital 2567 statements of deficiencies. Released Oct 20, 2026. Updated monthly.
| Date | What | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Medicare payment reduction (HAC Reduction Program) | Fiscal year 2026: 1% of Medicare payments |
What do patients say about their care?
- CMS doesn’t publish staffing levels for hospitals.
- In CMS’s patient survey, patients rate how well its nurses communicated 4 of 5.
- 82% of its health care workers got a flu shot (Oct 1, 2024 to Mar 31, 2025).
CMS, Patient survey (HCAHPS) - Hospital and Timely and Effective Care - Hospital. Released Aug 13, 2026. Updated quarterly.
Who owns it?
- University of Washington runs it.
- 6 owners or officers are people: Cynthia Hecker (corporate director); Cynthia Hecker (managing employee (on the payroll)); Jon D Alford (corporate officer); Brenda Schwilke (runs it (operational or managerial control), 0%); Matthew Lund (corporate officer); Matthew Lund (managing employee (on the payroll)).
- CMS’s Provider of Services file records 1 change of ownership.
- No private-equity firm among the owners CMS lists.
- No real-estate investment trust among the owners CMS lists.
CMS, Hospital All Owners and Hospital Enrollments. Released Sep 29, 2026. Updated monthly.
CMS, Provider of Services File - Hospital & Non-Hospital Facilities. Released Oct 14, 2026. Updated quarterly.
How does it compare nearby?
- Of the 20 hospitals CMS lists in King County, 15 have an overall star rating from CMS: 3 rated 5 of 5, 7 rated 4 of 5, 1 rated 3 of 5, 4 rated 2 of 5.
- CMS rates this one 4 of 5.
CMS, Hospital General Information. Released Aug 13, 2026. Updated quarterly.
What the record doesn’t say
- CMS doesn’t publish fines or other penalties for hospitals, so none are shown. The one payment cut CMS publishes for each hospital, under its Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program, is shown where it applies.
- Only complaints that led to a citation appear; complaints that didn’t aren’t published.
- Most hospitals are accredited by a private organisation (The Joint Commission, DNV and others) whose routine inspections stand in for the state’s; those reports aren’t public, and QCOR holds only the state’s surveys: no inspection on record here doesn’t mean none took place.
- QCOR says its hospital inspection data are complete only through September 17, 2026, while it moves to a new system.
- CMS doesn’t publish staffing levels for hospitals.
- In its September 2026 release CMS gives no comparison with the national rate for death and readmission rates, though it gives the rates.
Sources
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information (xubh-q36u).
Released Aug 13, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Patient survey (HCAHPS) - Hospital.
Released Aug 13, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Healthcare Associated Infections - Hospital (77hc-ibv8).
Released Aug 13, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Complications and Deaths - Hospital (ynj2-r877).
Released Sep 30, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Unplanned Hospital Visits - Hospital (632h-zaca).
Released Sep 30, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Timely and Effective Care - Hospital (yv7e-xc69).
Released Aug 13, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicare Spending Per Beneficiary - Hospital (rrqw-56er).
Released Aug 13, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction Program (yq43-i98g).
Released Aug 13, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated yearly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Provider of Services File - Hospital & Non-Hospital Facilities (Hospital_and_other.DATA.Q3_2026.csv).
Released Oct 14, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, QCOR Hospital 2567 statements of deficiencies (Hospital_2567s_2010_to_2026YTD.xlsx).
Released Oct 20, 2026 and checked Oct 27, 2026. Updated monthly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital All Owners (Hospital_All_Owners_2026.09.29.csv).
Released Sep 29, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated monthly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital Enrollments (Hospital_Enrollments_2026.09.29.csv).
Released Sep 29, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated monthly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
If you believe something here is wrong, a correction starts with the agency whose record this copies: CMS. CMS’s own record is on Care Compare. If Hearth Record copied something wrongly, it will fix it and log the correction publicly, with its date: how corrections work.
This copy of the record was made on Nov 5, 2026.
From the hospital
The public record above comes first. Anything the hospital adds will appear here, below it, and say who wrote it.
Replies
None. Replies aren’t open yet. When they open, the hospital will be able to answer any finding for free, and the reply will show beside that finding, unedited and dated.
Paid listing
None. Paid listings aren’t open yet. When they open, anything paid for will say “Paid by the hospital”, and paying will never change a finding, a rating or the order of results.