Our Commitment to Safety & Quality

Quality Measures

At Overlake, our paramount goal is to provide the safest, highest quality care to every patient. Providing safe care means protecting patients from errors, injuries, accidents and infections. Many factors impact a healthcare system’s quality of care, and it takes a team of dedicated professionals, working in partnership with our patients and their families, to deliver exceptional, safe care.

Quality metrics, such as infection rates, hospital readmission rates and patient surveys, are the gold standard by which healthcare is measured. These measures help us monitor how well we are doing at providing safe, quality care. These data guide our ongoing efforts to improve processes to ensure we care for our patients using the most up-to-date practices.

Hospitals monitor and measure their own quality and rely on outside organizations for quality evaluations. Many independent quality rating agencies provide assessments at both the state and national levels to provide patients with objective, evidence-based assessments of their options when looking for treatment. Please visit any of the sites below to view Overlake’s quality and safety record.

• Medicare.gov: Hospital Compare
• Leapfrog
• Washington State Hospital Association
• Healthgrades

Patient Safety

We believe safety is everyone’s responsibility. We support and foster a “just culture,” where all employees are encouraged to come forward when mistakes are made, allowing Overlake the opportunity to improve care and prevent potential errors. Having a strong reporting culture allows us to be informed, learn and grow. 

The Patient's Role

We believe patients should take an active role in their healthcare, and evidence shows that patients who are involved in their care heal quicker. Working together as a team, we can make a difference. We ask patients to participate in their care by:

Keeping Us Informed

• Provide all information about your medical history and report any changes.
• Bring an updated list of all your medications.
• Speak up if something does not feel right.
• Report concerns.

Asking Questions

• Write down questions you have to ask your caregivers (nurses/physicians).
• Clarify what you do not understand.
• Ask about the medications you are receiving.
• Ask for assistance with getting out of bed. As a patient you may be at a higher risk for falls.

Helping to Prevent Infection

• Wash hands; it’s the best way to prevent the spread of germs.
• Ask family/friends with cold-like symptoms not to visit you while in the hospital.
• Speak up if anyone on your care team does not wash their hands. Your caregivers welcome your reminders to wash their hands or wear gloves.

The Power of Collaboration

While Overlake care team members work together to provide patients with the best care, we also work with neighboring healthcare organizations to improve the overall quality of care available to the community. Our partnership with EvergreenHealth in forming the Eastside Health Network is one such example. This partnership creates a single provider network, which increases value and choice for patients. As a result of this partnership, Overlake and EvergreenHealth share safety and quality data as well as best practices to raise the quality and safety bar for all Eastside patients.