Alliance Blog

This month, we’re excited to welcome Columbia United Providers, Inc. (CUP) as our newest health plan member. Thanks to the support of our members, the Alliance is able to produce the Community Checkup and move the needle toward a more transparent and high-quality health system. Columbia United Providers CUP is a local health plan founded ...

Fred Jarrett, Deputy King County Executive, was elected to the Washington Health Alliance’s board of directors this month. Mr. Jarrett oversees and directs the work of the King County Executive Branch, including its departments, operations and policy development. Previously a state senator, Jarrett served four terms in the Washington state House of Representatives, after serving ...

Fourfold differences in prices are common The Washington Health Alliance (the Alliance) announced today the publication of a new report that details tremendous variation in billing prices for common procedures among hospitals in Washington. The analysis, Hospital sticker shock: A report on hospital price variation in Washington state, finds that price variations from 200% to ...

This month, we’re excited to welcome the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) as our newest member. Thanks to the support of our members, the Alliance is able to produce the Community Checkup and move the needle toward a more transparent and high-quality health system. National Federation of Independent Business Founded in 1943, and headquartered ...

Data from 3.3 million lives in Washington illustrates successes and opportunities for improvement Washington State Choosing Wisely Task Force unveils campaign to focus on imaging for uncomplicated headaches The first statewide report in the nation to measure Choosing Wisely® recommendations finds that patients in Washington may be exposed to care that they don’t need—and potential ...

Choosing Wisely® is a national initiative helping physicians and patients have conversations about the overuse of tests and procedures and supports physicians’ efforts to help patients make smart and effective care choices. Read how one health system has successfully embedded the recommendations into their existing quality improvement culture. View September 2014 Spotlight on Improvement (PDF ...

The Commonwealth Fund recently released the Scorecard on State Health System Performance, 2014. Evaluating health systems across 42 quality, cost, and outcomes indicators, the report shines a light on what works and what doesn’t. The most dramatic improvements occurred when both national and state policymakers and health leaders created programs, incentives and collaborations to raise rates ...

The Seattle Times has published an article about the move in Washington state for great price transparency in health care. “I think people have assumed it’s all the same quality and all the same cost,” Alliance Executive Director Mary McWilliams says. “Getting them to recognize that it’s not all the same is the first threshold.” ...