Washington Hospital Healthcare System Recognized among America’s 50 Best for Outpatient Joint Replacement, Secures Multiple Excellence Awards

Washington Hospital Healthcare System (WHHS) announced today that it has been recognized as one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals for Outpatient Joint Replacement™ by Healthgrades, placing it among the top 5% of hospitals nationwide for this specialized surgery for the second consecutive year (2024-2025). WHHS also earned Five-Star Ratings for back and neck surgery, outpatient back and neck surgery, and outpatient total knee replacement, as well as the Outpatient Joint Replacement Excellence Award™ and Outpatient Orthopedic Surgery Excellence Award™.

These achievements highlight WHHS’ leadership in orthopedic care and its commitment to delivering top-quality care for patients undergoing advanced procedures. WHHS is one of only 10 hospitals in California to receive both the Outpatient Orthopedic Surgery Excellence Award and the Outpatient Joint Replacement Excellence Award, and one of just two in the Bay Area. Additionally, WHHS is one of only five hospitals in California and the only hospital in the Bay Area to be named among America’s 50 Best Hospitals for Outpatient Joint Replacement™. These recognitions reflect WHHS’ dedication to providing the best possible orthopedic care to patients in the Bay Area and beyond.

“We are incredibly honored to be recognized as one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals for Outpatient Joint Replacement. This achievement highlights our deep commitment to providing exceptional, high-quality care close to home," said Kimberly Hartz, CEO of Washington Hospital Healthcare System. "I am so proud of our dedicated staff and physicians, whose hard work and Patient First Ethic have made these outstanding results possible.”

“This recognition speaks to the strength of our orthopedic program and the level of care we provide,” said John T. Dearborn, MD, FAAOS, founder and medical co-director of the Institute for Joint Restoration and Research (IJRR) at Washington Hospital Health System and founder and medical director of Peninsula Surgery Center. “By leveraging the latest technology and drawing on our extensive experience, we are able to ensure better outcomes for our patients, helping them return to their lives with improved mobility and health.”

“Our team specializes in hip and knee replacement surgeries, and we continuously incorporate advances in minimally invasive techniques to provide the best possible care for our patients,” said Alexander P. Sah, MD, FAAOS, medical co-director of the Institute for Joint Restoration & Research and medical director of Outpatient Arthroplasty Program at Washington Outpatient Surgery Center. “Patients choosing WHHS for orthopedic surgery can feel confident knowing they are receiving care from a top-rated health care facility for their procedure.”

To identify the top-performing hospitals for the most common outpatient procedures and conditions, Healthgrades focused exclusively on what matters most: patient outcomes. As part of its most recent analysis, Healthgrades analyzed risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates at short-term acute care facilities nationwide that perform critical orthopedic procedures in an outpatient environment. Healthgrades found that patients treated at hospitals with nationally recognized outpatient programs have a demonstrably better chance of a positive outcome than those treated at hospitals that were not recognized for outpatient excellence. From 2021 through 2023, if all hospitals as a group performed similarly to hospitals receiving five stars as a group, on average 35,563 complications could potentially have been avoided.*

“Year after year, Washington Hospital Healthcare System delivers consistently superior clinical outcomes to patients undergoing critical procedures in an outpatient environment,” said Brad Bowman, MD, chief medical officer and head of data science at Healthgrades. “Healthgrades is proud to recognize Washington Hospital Healthcare System as a national leader in specialty care and a choice hospital for outpatient surgery in California.”

As outpatient surgical volumes continue to grow, Healthgrades is proud to offer the industry’s only outcomes-based outpatient ratings to help patients identify the best care for their needs. To learn more about how Healthgrades measures hospital quality, visit healthgrades.com.

¹The Bay Area is defined as: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Santa Clara, San Mateo, San Francisco, Sonoma and Solano Counties in California.

*Statistics are based on Healthgrades analysis of Standard Analytic Files data for years 2021 through 2023 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only. For more information on how Healthgrades identifies the nation’s top hospitals for outpatient orthopedic surgery, see the 2025 Outpatient Awards and Ratings Methodology.