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Also according to the study, if all U.S. hospitals had performed at the level of HealthGrades 2008 Distinguished Hospitals for Patient Safety(TM), approximately 220,106 patient safety incidents and 37,214 Medicare deaths could have been avoided while saving the U.S. approximately $2 billion from 2004 to 2006 alone.

"We are proud to receive the Patient Safety award from HealthGrades for a second year in a row," said C. William Schneider, CEO of Northwest Hospital & Medical Center. "It reflects years of daily, behind-the-scenes efforts by each member of our staff to ensure patient safety and quality of care, from our physicians and nurses, to the dozens of committees and small working groups dedicated to performance improvement. It is the work of these people that continues to help Northwest Hospital achieve this type of recognition."

A full copy of the HealthGrades study can be found at http://www.healthgrades.com.

About Northwest Hospital & Medical Center

Founded in 1960, Northwest Hospital & Medical Center is a full-service, non-profit hospital located minutes north of downtown Seattle. With 281 licensed beds, more than 1,600 employees and all private rooms, it offers some of the most innovative, technologically advanced medical care available. Major clinical programs and services include: emergency services; critical care; cardiac care; neurosciences; stroke center; cancer care; childbirth services; bariatric surgery; sports medicine; medical rehabilitation; geropsychiatric center; Gamma Knife(R) Center; diagnostic imaging; laboratory services; and education and wellness programs, among others. For more information about
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