Washington emergency care receives low grade

SEATTLE -- According to a new report card, the quality of emergency care in Washington has dropped in the past five years.

On Thursday, the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) released its state-by-state report card on emergency care in America. Washington received a D+ and dropped to 35th place in the nation.

When the last ACEP report card was released in 2009, Washington ranked slightly higher, at 19 on the national list and scoring a grade of C.

States were ranked in five categories, and while the 2014 report card said Washington ranked in the top ten for two categories (Public Health and Injury Prevention and Quality of Patient Safety), it failed in the other three (Access to Emergency Care, Medical Liability and Disaster Preparedness).

According to the Washington chapter of the ACEP, the failing grades should serve as a wake-up call that changes must be made in order for the state to be competitive with emergency facilities across the country.

To read the entire report card from the ACEP, visit the organization's website.