Alliance Blog

Precision medicine, that is customizing a treatment for a particular patient, is where medical treatment is headed. As the market shifts, more biosimilars will be available, those are medicines that are highly similar to a previously approved biologic, a drug made from proteins or pieces of proteins that are made in a living system, such ...

The Washington State Chiropractic Association (WSCA) is Washington’s only professional organization representing Doctors of Chiropractic. Established in 1991, WSCA has been growing strong ever since with doctors from across the entire state joining forces to protect, promote and improve the chiropractic profession for a strong and healthy future for all. They are boldly committed to ...

Unprecedented detailed results for counties and regions across Washington state SEATTLE, WA — Where are our health care dollars going? That answer is provided in the Washington Health Alliance’s new Total Cost of Care report looking at how much is being spent on health care in Washington state as well as on the different types ...

Dear Members and Allies, There comes a time in every leader’s career when it is important to take stock, celebrate the successes, put the failures in perspective, declare satisfaction with the professional adventure and turn the page to the next life quest. That time for me is approaching. Effective July 8, 2022, I will resign ...

Almost all people will experience low-back pain sometime during their lives. Unfortunately, many of them will not receive high quality health care to treat it. In fact, you can compare the rate for providers avoiding the use of X-ray, MRI and CT scans for low-back pain using the latest data from the Alliance’s Community Checkup ...

In this time of innovation in health care, many organizations are developing, testing and evaluating models intended to foster the delivery of high-value care – that is, better quality care at lower cost.  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the nation’s largest purchaser/payer, is no exception.  A recent article commented on the results ...

Washington Health Alliance Executive Director Nancy Giunto led a panel discussion on the role of employers in health care reform at the recent virtual State of Reform conference. The discussion included the challenges facing small businesses, the need for access to health care data to support making purchasing decisions, and the challenges facing employers and ...

The Chicago Business Journal article, “Who’s Watching the Money?”, extends the fiduciary obligations businesses have under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) to its health care benefits plans and the requirement to manage them “with the care, skill, and diligence of a prudent person.” That responsibility includes reducing waste, and cites its prevalence using ...

A key issue facing our healthcare system today is the impact of the social needs, social risks, and social determinants on today’s workforce. No longer just a public health concern, issues with economic instability, housing, transportation, and access to healthcare can have a significant impact on the health and well-being of employees and their families. ...

WellSpark Health is a wellbeing program that accounts for every dimension of employees’ lives. They see each employee as the sum of everything in their life—from their culture, to their community to their physical health. Their life-dimensional approach puts health challenges into context of a person’s total life. WellSpark is able to provide empowering guidance ...

The past year has been a bit of a rollercoaster for us at the Washington Health Alliance (Alliance), as we have had some highs, lows, and unexpected twists and turns, as it has likely been for you as well. While relieved that vaccinations and boosters have made their way into many people’s arms, we continue ...

We are delighted to announce that Denise Giambalvo is joining the Washington Health Alliance (Alliance) as our new Director of Purchaser Strategies. Denise brings with her extensive experience working with purchaser coalitions that will be helpful in her responsibilities at the Alliance, including: supporting, activating, and expanding the work of the Alliance’s Purchaser Affinity Group; ...