On June 25, the Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) honored 20 rural hospitals for outstanding quality improvement efforts with its 2025 Critical Access Hospital Achievement of Excellence distinction. The distinctions were announced during WSHA’s annual Rural Hospital Leadership Conference at Campbell’s Resort in Chelan, Wash.
These hospitals demonstrated a strong commitment to advancing patient care by voluntarily submitting data on up to 14 quality measures, including sepsis management, workplace safety, diagnostic accuracy and efforts to reduce health disparities. To earn recognition, each hospital achieved an average score of at least five out of 10 across eligible measures.
The hospitals recognized in 2025 were:
- Gold winners
- Arbor Health
- Astria Sunnyside Hospital
- Columbia Basin Hospital
- Coulee Medical Center
- Jefferson Healthcare
- Kittitas Valley Healthcare
- Newport Hospital & Health Services
- North Valley Hospital
- Ocean Beach Hospital & Medical Clinics
- Providence Mount Carmel Hospital
- Providence St. Joseph’s Hospital
- St. Elizabeth Hospital
- Summit Pacific Medical Center
- Willapa Harbor Hospital
- Silver winners
- Cascade Medical Center
- Forks Community Hospital
- Lourdes Medical Center
- Quincy Valley Medical Center
- Snoqualmie Valley Hospital
- Whitman Hospital & Medical Clinics
“The Achievement of Quality Excellence program elevates the work of our most rural hospitals as they deliver high-quality care close to home,” WSHA Senior Vice President of Safety and Quality Darcy Jaffe said. “Their outstanding commitment to improvement is a testament to their leadership in patient care.”
This is WSHA’s third year honoring Critical Access hospitals for tracking performance. Critical Access hospitals are those with 25 or fewer beds, that are located more than 35 miles from another hospital, that maintain an average length of stay of 96 hours or less for acute care patients, and that provide 24/7 emergency care services.