Virginia Mason Medical Center honored

SEATTLE -- Virginia Mason Medical Center has been named a 2012 "Top Hospital." The announcement was made Tuesday at the Leapfrog Group’s annual meeting in Baltimore. This is the seventh consecutive year Virginia Mason has received the honor from Leapfrog.

Virginia Mason and the University of Maryland Medical Center-Baltimore are the only two hospitals to receive the Top Hospital distinction each year since the recognition program started in 2006.

“We are extremely proud once again to be a Leapfrog Top Hospital,” said Gary S. Kaplan, MD, Virginia Mason chairman and CEO. “This recognition reflects our physicians’ and team members’ dedication to achieving the highest standards in serving our patients.”

This year, 66 hospitals were named to the Top Hospitals list, including three in Washington State -- in addition to Virginia Mason, Swedish Medical Center/First Hill and MultiCare Mary Bridge Children's Hospital also received honors. The honor is based on results of an annual survey done by Leapfrog; nearly 1,200 hospitals participated in the survey.