Spotlighting Key Achievements From Seattle Children’s Top-Ranked Service Lines
Oct. 7, 2026
As announced in the Sept. 15 Provider News Special Update, for the third year in a row U.S. News & World Report has named Seattle Children’s among the top 10 best children’s hospitals in the U.S., and best in the Pacific Northwest.
U.S. News & World Report is the most comprehensive source of quality-related information on pediatric hospitals in the United States. The Best Children's Hospitals methodology is based on objective measures such as patient outcomes, including mortality and infection rates, as well as available clinical resources and compliance with best practices.
Seattle Children’s continues to earn the annual top 10 recognition because of its reputation for providing exceptional care, groundbreaking treatments and outstanding surgical outcomes not found in most healthcare systems. For example, following are some recent achievements from several key Seattle Children’s service lines:
Orthopedics
- Earned a perfect score in U.S. News’ most recent survey related to orthopedic outcomes such as readmission rates and re-operation rates for spinal fusion
- Had the highest number of annual outpatient visits in Seattle Children’s Orthopedics history
- Provided athletic training services for Starfire Youth Tournaments, ensuring that athletes had accessible Seattle Children’s care on the field
Neurology and Neurosurgery
- Achieved exceptional epilepsy surgery outcomes:
- Temporal lobe surgery: more than 80% of patients achieved Engel class 1 to 2 (seizure-free or almost seizure-free) at 12 months post-surgery
- Extra-temporal lobe surgery: more than 80% of patients achieved Engel class 1 to 2 at 12 months post-surgery
- Earned the highest possible U.S. News survey score for neurosurgical survival
- Achieved the highest possible U.S. News survey score for prevention of surgical complications
Mental and Behavioral Health
- Supported 3,000+ visits to Psychiatric Urgent Care Clinic in FY26; nearly half of these visits were from children younger than 13
- Expanded behavioral health services in the South Sound, adding an Early Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Program and autism diagnostic evaluations in a new, dedicated space at Seattle Children’s Federal Way Clinic
- Invested in programs that reach patients with complex needs, including a new Psychosis Program to evaluate and treat youth as young as 13 statewide, and expanded the Disruptive Behavior Crisis Clinic and Biobehavioral Outpatient Program
Cancer
- Supervised a clinical trial for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common type of childhood cancer. The outcome of this trial showed an improved survival rate from 88% to 96%, changing the standard of care for most children with this type of leukemia.
- Led a clinical trial treating patients with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a fatal brain tumor. While the historical DIPG survival is 11 months, the median survival on this first-in-human trial was 20 months, leading to the FDA granting Breakthrough Therapy Designation. A multi-site phase 2 clinical trial beginning at Seattle Children’s is now open and enrolling based on this initial success.
- Launched a Complex High Risk Solid Tumor Program consisting of a multidisciplinary team of oncologists, surgeons, radiologists and pathologists that will support relapse and hard-to-treat solid tumors.
Cardiology
- Launched new Sports Cardiology Program to support growing clinical needs of student athletes
- Was the first center in the world to report a transfusion-free cardiac surgery and hospital stay for the Norwood procedure
- Achieved consistently high surgical outcome ratings from U.S. News related to areas such as survival after heart transplants, infection prevention and survival after complex heart procedures
These are just some of the many important achievements and initiatives underway at Seattle Children’s designed to improve patient care and expand access and services where they are needed most. For more information, visit the Seattle Children’s website and Refer a Patient page.