UW Medicine is an integrated clinical, research and learning health system with a single mission to improve the health of the public. Nearly 29,000 UW Medicine faculty, non-faculty practitioners and staff work to improve health for all people through excellence in clinical, research and education/training programs. With these integrated programs, UW Medicine health professionals provide the most up-to-date care for each individual patient, lead one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive medical research programs, and provide innovative learning programs for students, trainees, and practitioners in the health professions. As the only comprehensive clinical, research and learning health system in the five-state WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) region, UW Medicine provides a higher degree of healthcare, ranging from primary and preventive care to the most highly specialized care for the most complex medical conditions.
UW Medicine is a family of organizations (some public and some private nonprofit) that are operated or managed as part of an integrated health system.
*KEY AFFILIATES AND PARTNERS
- Bloodworks Northwest
- Hall Health Center
- MultiCare Health System
- Northwest Kidney Centers
- PeaceHealth
- Seattle Children's
- Skagit Regional Health
- VA Puget Sound/Boise/American Lake
**INTEGRATED NETWORKS
Wholly Owned:
- UW Medicine Choice Care, LLC
Partially Owned:
- Embright - Pacific Northwest Clinically Integrated Network
(with MultiCare and LifePoint)
Contractual:
- UW Medicine Accountable Care Network
- UW Medicine Post-Acute Care Network
***PARTIALLY OWNED ORGANIZATIONS
- Children's University Medical Group (with Seattle Children's)
- LifePoint - UW Medicine LLC
- Trios Health, a UW Medicine Community Health Partner
Clinically Integrated Parts of UW Medicine
Airlift Northwest
Airlift Northwest
Airlift Northwest is dedicated to providing safe, efficient and compassionate air medical transport for critically ill and injured infants, children and adults, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The region’s first air medical transport service, Airlift Northwest has flown more than 100,000 patients since its founding in 1982. Its helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft are strategically located at eight bases throughout the Pacific Northwest and Southeast Alaska. On-board medical experts handle everything from advanced cardiac life support to neonatal resuscitation, all while flying patients to the best available care for their condition. Airlift is owned by the University of Washington.
- Total patients served: 3,422
- Employees: 141
- Area of operations: Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Montana
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center is an independent, nonprofit organization that serves as UW Medicine’s cancer program. This unique relationship creates a powerful team for adults facing cancer. Fred Hutch unites comprehensive cancer care with advanced scientific research to provide the latest cancer treatment options and to accelerate discoveries that prevent, treat and defeat cancer and infectious diseases worldwide. Fred Hutch is the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in Washington and has earned a global reputation for discoveries in cancer, infectious disease and basic research, including important advances in bone marrow transplantation, HIV/AIDS prevention, immunotherapy and COVID-19 vaccines. Fred Hutch operates eight clinical care sites that provide medical oncology, infusion, radiation, proton therapy and related services and has network affiliations with hospitals in four states.
Harborview Medical Center
Harborview Medical Center
Harborview Medical Center is an acute care hospital located in Seattle, providing specialized care for a broad spectrum of patients throughout the Pacific Northwest. Its mission is to provide care for a broad spectrum of patients from throughout the region, including the most vulnerable residents of King County; to provide and teach exemplary patient care; and to develop and maintain leading-edge centers of emphasis. It is the result of a successful partnership between King County, which owns the hospital, and UW, through which UW Medicine manages the hospital. Faculty and staff are UW employees.
- The only Level 1 trauma center in the Pacific Northwest, serving adults and children
- Regional Burn Center
- Emergency medicine and disaster management
- Eye Institute
- HIV/AIDS care
- Neurosciences Institute and comprehensive stroke center
- Mental health services, including psychiatric emergency services and substance abuse
- Rehabilitation services
- Sexual assault and domestic violence care
- Sports, spine and orthopedic care
- Vascular care
- Uncompensated care for vulnerable populations
- Licensed beds: 413
- Employees: 5,628
- Admissions: 15,112
- Clinic visits: 259,127
- Emergency Department visits: 47,369
- Uncompensated care: $287 million (FY 2020; FY 2021 not yet available)
UW Medical Center
UW Medical Center
UW Medical Center is an acute care hospital located in Seattle with two campuses: Montlake and Northwest. It is owned by the University of Washington and is one of the world’s foremost medical centers for emergency and specialized inpatient and outpatient medical and surgical care. For the past ten years, it has been ranked the No. 1 hospital in Washington state by U.S. News & World Report and is nationally ranked in six specialties.
- Childbirth Center and Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
- Cancer care and blood and marrow transplantation
- Cardiac care, including advanced procedures, complex surgeries,
- mechanical circulatory support devices and transplantation
- Multiple sclerosis
- Obstetrics, including high-risk care
- Otolaryngology, including head and neck surgery for treating diseases and
- disorders of the ear, nose and throat
- Radiation therapy
- Robotic-assisted surgery for gynecological oncology, urology, otolaryngology
- and general surgery
- Solid organ transplantation of the liver, kidney, heart, lung, pancreas
- and intestine
- Sports, spine and orthopedics care
- Stroke care
- Licensed beds: 810
- Employees: 7,524
- Admissions: 27,320
- Clinic visits: 400,575
- Emergency Department visits: 55,781
- Organ transplants: 489
- Bone marrow transplants (with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center): 385
- Births: 3,314
UW Medicine Primary Care
UW Medicine Primary Care is a network of community-based primary and urgent care clinics located throughout the Puget Sound region. UW Medicine Primary Care uses the patient-centered medical home model to deliver accessible, continuous, patient-centered, coordinated, compassionate, and culturally appropriate care. The clinics provide a wide spectrum of primary and secondary care services and include ancillary services on site such as laboratories and digital radiology facilities. UW is the sole corporate member of UW Medicine Primary Care.
UW Physicians
UW Physicians
UW Physicians is the practice group for more than 2,600 providers and other healthcare professionals associated with UW Medicine who care for patients throughout the WWAMI region. Members of UW Physicians are active faculty in the UW School of Medicine and teach future healthcare professionals in one of the most highly regarded and competitive medical schools in the nation. They practice at UW Medicine entities, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and Seattle Children’s. UW is the sole corporate member of UW Physicians.
- Complex and advanced medical and surgical treatments
- Solid organ and bone marrow transplantation
- Cancer prevention and treatment
- Cardiovascular disorders
- Vascular disorders
- High-risk pregnancy and neonatal intensive care
- Rehabilitation care
- Gastrointestinal disease
- Specialized orthopedic surgery
- Burn injuries
- Trauma
- Pulmonary and ICU critical care
- Physicians and other healthcare professionals: 2,657
- Total outpatient visits: 1,995,051
UW School of Medicine
UW School of Medicine
The UW School of Medicine is a school of the University of Washington and serves a five-state region: Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho (WWAMI). U.S. News & World Report currently ranks the University of Washington School of Medicine as best in the nation for primary care education and training and second in the nation for NIH research grants with $1.3 billion in fiscal year 2020. There are approximately 4,800 students and trainees in the School of Medicine.
- M.D.
Provides medical students with education and mentoring for excellence in clinical skills and patient-centered care. - Graduate Medical Education (GME)
Provides advanced training through 114 accredited residency and clinical fellowship programs (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education). - MEDEX Northwest
A regional program to train physician assistants with a focus on primary care for underserved populations. - Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)
Enables highly qualified candidates to obtain both MD and PhD degrees for careers in basic medical research. - Allied Health Programs
Undergraduate and graduate training in medical laboratory science, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and prosthetics and orthotics.”
- Full-time or part-time regular faculty members: 2,662
- Clinical faculty: 5,439
- Affiliate faculty: 520
- Students and trainees enrolled in School of Medicine degree programs: 4,801
- Departments: 31 in clinical and basic science
Valley Medical Center
Valley Medical Center
Valley Medical Center is an acute care community hospital located in South King County and is the oldest and largest public hospital district system in the state of Washington. It operates a network of more than four dozen primary, urgent and specialty care clinics and has one of the busiest emergency departments in the state. UW Medicine and Valley are integrated through a Strategic Alliance Agreement.
- Level III Trauma Center and emergency services
- Birth Center and Level III Neonatal ICU
- Breast and bone density screening
- Cancer treatment, infusion and support
- General and specialty surgery
- Gynecology, urogynecology and urology
- Imaging services
- Joint replacement and orthopedics
- Lifestyle medicine and fitness
- Nephrology
- Neuroscience, pediatric neurology, stroke and spine
- Obstetrics, midwifery and maternal fetal medicine
- Occupational health services
- Psychiatry and counseling
- Rehabilitation and children’s therapies
- Licensed beds: 341
- Employees: 3,800
- Admissions: 16,098
- Clinic visits: 660,865
- Emergency Department visits: 72,175
- Births: 3,017
Partnerships and affiliations
In addition to the organizations that are clinically integrated parts of UW Medicine, UW Medicine has affiliations with and interests in other healthcare organizations in the Pacific Northwest, including multiple entities in which the University of Washington, on behalf of UW Medicine, has an ownership or membership interest. Each of these relationships advances UW Medicine's mission to improve the health of the public.
UW Medicine has longstanding affiliations with many organizations, including Seattle Children's, MultiCare Health System, VA Puget Sound Health Care and Boise VA Medical Center. While each affiliation is unique, these relationships enable activities and collaboration throughout the region that complement UW Medicine's strategic plan and advance UW Medicine's single mission.
UW Medicine, through the University, is one of two equal corporate members and founders of Children's University Medical Group (with Seattle Children's). This relationship is vitally important for the success of our pediatric clinical, research and education programs. In addition, UW Medicine is a part owner of a limited liability company (LLC) created with LifePoint that was established to own and operate community hospitals in Washington, Alaska and Idaho. Through this arrangement, UW Medicine provides expertise on quality and complex clinical care at LLC facilities, which are co-branded "A UW Medicine Community Health Partner."
UW Medicine, through the University, also is one of the three founding owners of a clinically integrated network called Embright (with MultiCare Health System and LifePoint) and the sole corporate member of UW Medicine Choice Care. These two organizations were created to enter into value-based healthcare contracts to provide patient care.
In 2014, UW Medicine formed the UW Medicine Accountable Care Network (UW Medicine ACN), which brought together a network of healthcare organizations and healthcare professionals to assume responsibility for the healthcare of patient populations.
In addition to the UW Medicine ACN, UW Medicine established the UW Medicine Post-Acute Care Network (UW Medicine PAC Network) in 2017, through which UW Medicine contracts with a variety of post-acute care providers in the region to improve care for patients throughout the care continuum. This network includes skilled nursing facilities, home health and hospice, adult day health, and home care partners.
UW Medicine Frequently Asked Questions
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