From a press release:

Valley Medical Center has been named one of the 97 best hospitals in the nation for joint replacement, according to Medicare, the only hospital in Washington state to achieve this status.

In evaluating the hospitals, Medicare looked at how often its beneficiaries were readmitted within 30 days of discharge and how often serious complications occurred after the operation.

The Medicare evaluation considered the outcomes of all Medicare beneficiaries receiving joint replacement between July 2009 and June 2012, nearly 1.8 million patients between July 2009 and June 2012. About 95 percent of hospitals nationwide were identified as only average and another 95 hospitals rated below average.

Kaiser Health News recently assembled a list of the hospitals Medicare rated highest for joint replacement from Medicare’s extensive report. View Kaiser’s list of Medicare’s best hospitals for joint replacement.

Led by Medical Director, William Barrett, orthopedic surgeon, Valley Medical Center’s joint replacement program has also been ranked No. 1 in Washington for Joint Replacement for the past four years by HealthGrades 2013.