Northwest Hospital and UW Medical Center Integration Q&A

Northwest Hospital will become one of the two campuses of UW Medical Center. The two-campus hospital will operate under a single hospital license — University of Washington Medical Center — and the unified hospital will be financially, clinically and administratively integrated.

Operating under one license will improve access for patients, better align and standardize our clinical services, and reduce administrative complexity. Combining the two hospitals will position both hospitals for long-term success and enable UW Medicine to better accomplish our mission in the region.

The majority of the providers who presently practice at Northwest Hospital have become members of University of Washington Physicians (UWP). This means that you will see many of the same providers.

All staff will become Washington state employees, and they will have new badges. There will be new signage on the UW Medical Center – Northwest campus, and hospital materials, such as brochures, decals and logos, will reflect the new name. You will begin to see changes in mid-December, and we will continue to integrate and make changes throughout the coming year.

For all care provided on or after Jan. 1, 2020, patients will receive a bill from University of Washington Medical Center for care received in the hospital on the Northwest campus or from one of the Northwest campus hospital-based clinics, and a bill from University of Washington Physicians (UWP) for the care provided by your physician, advanced registered nurse practitioner (ARNP), physician assistant or podiatrist.

If you are a patient whose entire stay at Northwest Hospital is prior to 2020, you will be billed by Northwest Hospital. However, If your stay begins in 2019 (e.g., Dec 28) but extends to 2020 (e.g. Jan 1), you will be billed by University of Washington Medical Center.

Starting Jan. 1, 2020, Northwest Hospital will be called UW Medical Center – Northwest, and the original UW Medical Center location will be called UW Medical Center – Montlake. Northwest Hospital’s main campus as a whole, as well as the 11 acres adjacent to the I-5 freeway, will be called UW Medicine – Northwest Campus.

Cindy Hecker currently serves as chief executive officer of both UW Medical Center and Northwest Hospital. Geoff Austin serves as chief operating officer for both hospitals. As of January 1, 2020, Hecker and Austin will continue in these roles over the unified UW Medical Center.

For many years, Northwest Hospital has had some residents who are in various levels of training. The Montlake campus of UW Medical Center will remain the primary teaching campus.

Some research is already conducted at Northwest Hospital and the Northwest Campus will continue to provide opportunities to participate in research trials as part of UW Medical Center. Please note that none of our physicians conduct any type of research trials without first obtaining patient consent, so it is your decision to participate or not.

Any physician who transfers a patient from UW Medical Center – Northwest to UW Medical Center – Montlake will be able to see you and access your medical record. They will coordinate care with UW Medical Center – Montlake physicians and staff. 

In preparation for the integration, UW Medical Center worked with insurance carriers to transfer coverage from Northwest Hospital to UW Medical Center. You should experience no problems; however, if you have questions, please contact UW Medical Center’s billing and insurance office at 206.598.1950. They can review your coverage to ensure a seamless transition for Jan. 1, 2020.