UW Medicine will move forward to request board approval for a plan to combine UW Medical Center (UWMC) and Northwest Hospital & Medical Center (NWH) as one hospital with two campuses.
UW Medicine has a longstanding relationship with Northwest Hospital, which became part of UW Medicine in 2009. This year, an evaluation team, led by six executive sponsors, has assessed the benefits of combining the two hospitals. The team considered a variety of issues related to human resources, finances, clinical and administrative operations, facilities and governance.
In a statement today, UW Medicine CEO Paul Ramsey, UWMC Executive Director Geoff Austin and NWH Executive Director Cindy Hecker expressed their confidence that “this transition will benefit our patients, both hospitals and the UW Medicine system as a whole. Even with our existing affiliation, there is much more we need to accomplish. We believe that combining UWMC and NWH under one license will position both campuses for long-term success and will enable UW Medicine to accomplish our mission in the region.”
The plan to combine the hospitals will require approval from the NWH Board, the UW Medicine Board and the UW Board of Regents. If approved by all three boards, Northwest Hospital will operate under UW Medical Center’s hospital license, and the two campuses will be financially, clinically and administratively integrated. The expected start date for the combined hospital is January 1, 2019.
Please see the Evaluation Project Questions and Answers for more information on the results of the evaluation process and next steps.
