Northwest Hospital & Medical Center collaborates with UW Medicine Health System to improve healthcare

Following final regulatory review, Northwest Hospital & Medical Center, a 281-bed full-service acute care hospital, has joined the UW Medicine Health System, effective January 1.

The Northwest Hospital Board of Trustees and the University of Washington Board of Regents endorsed the agreement in September 2009, and the final agreements were signed in November. Now known as Northwest Hospital & Medical Center/UW Medicine, the facility joins the other six entities under the UW Medicine umbrella, including: Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington Medical Center, UW Medicine Neighborhood Clinics, University of Washington Physicians, Airlift Northwest and the UW School of Medicine. UW Medicine is also a corporate member of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and Children's University Medical Group and has close affiliations with Seattle Children's, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and the VA Puget Sound Health Care System.

"We are delighted to welcome Northwest Hospital to the UW Medicine Health System," said Paul Ramsey, MD, CEO of UW Medicine and dean of the University of Washington School of Medicine. "It is an outstanding institution with a very strong presence in the community and a history of excellence in clinical care. Starting this month, Northwest Hospital's executive leadership team will join committees currently working on strategic planning initiatives at UW Medicine. We are very excited about the possibilities to enhance clinical services for our community in support of the UW Medicine mission of improving the health of the public."

"As we celebrate our 50th year of serving the community in 2010, Northwest Hospital is also celebrating the beginning of a new era of partnership with UW Medicine," said Bill Schneider, the hospital's president and CEO. "We are eager to start the strategic planning process and to explore how we can take our clinical expertise and range of services to a whole new level to benefit our patients."

UW Medicine has had a relationship with Northwest Hospital since 1997, when the two entities signed a Cooperative Program Agreement to establish a long-term and durable collaboration on select patient care, clinical research and educational initiatives. In 1998, a Northwest Hospital-based UW Medicine cardiac surgery program was developed. It is now ranked as the leading cardiac surgery program in the Puget Sound region. UW Medicine and Northwest Hospital anticipate the first opportunities for clinical collaboration under the new affiliation will center around cardiovascular services, oncology services and maternal and child health.