Accreditation and Awards

MultiCare's hospitals, programs and services are accredited by many national health care organizations.

HOSPITAL, HOME HEALTH AND HOSPICE ACCREDITATION

MultiCare Health System hospitals, Home Health, and Hospice services are accredited by the Joint Commission. This accreditation is a nationwide seal of approval indicating that we meet high performance standards related to the quality and safety of our patient care.

• MultiCare Health System's Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) Program has been certified by the Joint Commission Disease Specific Care Process.
• American Board of Radiology
• Tacoma General Hospital is identified with Joint Commission's Certificate of Distinction as a Primary Stroke Center
• American Association of Respiratory Care Quality Respiratory Care Recognition
• Cardiac Rehabilitation Accreditation (American Association of Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation)
• Chest Pain Center Accreditation (Society of Chest Pain Centers and Providers)
• The Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons
• College of American Pathology (CAP) accreditation program
• Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF)

2011 AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS

• Kathy Scheffer, Nurse Manger, Imaging, was awarded the 2011 Association for Radiologic and Imaging Nursing (ARIN) Nurse of the Year Award
• MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital ranks No. 5 on U.S. News & World Report's "Best Hospitals" list for the Seattle metropolitan area. Tacoma General is the only hospital in Pierce County and one of only 11 hospitals in the Seattle metro area to received the national recognition, out of 35 area hospitals considered.
• Debby Jackson, Mary Bridge, RD was selected the 2011 Washington Association of Diabetes Educators Diabetes Educator of the Year
• Three MultiCare Health System nursing staff were honored by the Northwest Organization of Nurse Executives (NWONE)
• Marcia Johnson, RN, Vice President of Patient Care at MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital, received the Authentic Leadership award.
• Jo Ellen Vanatta, RN, MSN, Senior Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive at MultiCare Health System, received the Recognition of a Distinguished Career award.
• Tracy Dunham, RN, from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital, received the Excellence in Health Care or Nursing Advocacy award.
• MultiCare Health System has been approved as a Center of Excellence in Minimally Invasive Gynecology by the Council for Gynecologic Endoscopy and the Surgical Review Corporation (SRC).
• MultiCare Health System is the top-ranked health care system in Washington in a list of the most efficient and integrated networks, coming in at No. 8 on the 2011 Top 100 Integrated Health Networks list.

2010 AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS

• MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital received the Gold Performance Award for showing improvement in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction patients through implementation of the ACTION Registry®–GWTGTM and the in-hospital initiation of the American College of Cardiology/ American Heart Association STEMI/ NSTEMI clinical guideline recommendations. Tacoma General is the only award winner in the South Puget Sound area.
• MultiCare.org was awarded the “Distinction Award for Best Overall Internet Site for a Healthcare System” from eHealthcare Strategy & Trends, the premiere national organization that focuses on the ways leading-edge health care organizations use the Internet and technology to achieve their objectives.
• For the 13th time, MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital ranks No. 1 as the region’s preferred choice for health care.The not-for-profit Tacoma General is the only hospital in Pierce County to win the 2010-2011 Consumer Choice Award, as chosen by local residents surveyed by National Research Corp.
• The MultiCare Emergency Departments and Cancer Center was by Northwest Construction magazine as Best of 2010 in the Health Care category. The annual competition recognizes construction and design excellence in the three-state region that includes Washington, Oregon and Alaska.
• MultiCare’s four hospitals have earned the 2010 “Best Hands-on Care Award” from the Washington State Hospital Association. MultiCare hospitals were the only medical facilities in the South Sound to be recognized for their hand hygiene. MultiCare has won the "Best Hands-on Care Award" every year since the honor was created in 2007.
• MultiCare Health System has been named one of the nation’s Most Wired health systems according to Health IT magazine. MultiCare is one of only two health systems in Western Washington to earn this distinction.
• The Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit and the Coronary Care Unit at MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital has been recognized as among the top in the country by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses by being awarded the Beacon Award of Excellence. MultiCare Health System’s Regional Cancer Center received the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer’s Outstanding Achievement Award for excellence in providing quality care to cancer patients.
• MultiCare Health System’s Regional Cancer Center received the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer’s Outstanding Achievement Award for excellence in providing quality care to cancer patients.
• MultiCare's Healthy@Work program was awarded two Pierce County WorkWell Awards at the 4th Annual Healthy Breakfast Showcase March 23rd, the WorkWell Gold Designation and the Happy Heart Achievement Award.
• Economic Development Board of Tacoma-Pierce County recognized Good Samaritan and the new Tacoma Emergency Departments as significant economic development projects in 2009.
• Linda Wayman-Davis, a long-time nurse with MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit, has won the Pierce County Nurses Association Nurse of the Year Award.
• American Council of Engineering Companies of Washington awarded the MultiCare Steam Plant a Silver Award in the Energy category.
• MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital President, John Long, was named Outstanding Health Care Executive-Puget Sound by Seattle Business Magazine.
• Bridges: A Center for Grieving Children won a City of Destiny Award from the City of Tacoma for its work with children who experience the death of a parent or sibling.
• MultiCare Health System earned the highest ranking among West Coast health systems for its efficiency and integrated health care network and also placed fourth in national rankings on the 2010 Top 100 Integrated Health Networks list.