Virginia Mason named to The Leapfrog Group's annual list of Top Hospitals in the nation

For the ninth consecutive year, The Leapfrog Group today named Virginia Mason to its annual list of Top Hospitals in the nation.

Virginia Mason is the only hospital in Washington state to receive the 2014 Top Hospital award for quality and safety, and it is the only hospital in the U.S. to be named a Top Hospital every year since the recognition program was launched in 2006.

"The Leapfrog Group's methodology sets a high standard for identifying hospitals that are truly committed to providing the highest quality and safest care," said Virginia Mason Chairman and CEO Gary S. Kaplan, MD. "The Top Hospital award acknowledges our organization's extraordinary achievements and our team members' focus on creating a perfect patient experience."

An elite distinction earned by hospitals through the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, the Top Hospital award is given to less than 7 percent of all eligible hospitals in the country.

"Leapfrog's Top Hospital award is widely acknowledged as one of the most prestigious distinctions any hospital can achieve in the United States," said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, an employer-based coalition - whose members include The Boeing Co., AARP, Federal Express, United Parcel Service and Verizon - advocating for improved transparency, quality and safety. "It recognizes institutions for their excellence in quality of care and patient safety, as well as their commitment to transparency.

"By achieving Top Hospital status, Virginia Mason has proven it's a premier institution and deserves to be recognized for its dedication to the families and patients," she added.