Hospital costs is a big topic these days. It’s not surprising when one-third of our health care dollars go to care in hospitals. And on the consumer side, medical bills
Posts Categorized: Health Care Quality
Health Care Facts and a Preview of the Alliance’s Newest Report
You know health care is top of mind when the Wall Street Journal publishes a multiple choice questionnaire about health care costs. My staff and I recently took the WSJ
The Alliance Takes on the Wall Street Journal
You may have seen the recent Wall Street Journal article, “Posting Health Prices Online Isn’t Cure-All.” In it, the reporter takes a close look at New Hampshire’s twelve years of
September 2018 Letter from the Executive Director: Nancy Giunto to Testify on Transparency Before Senate Subcommittee
On a hot, smoky, not-so-transparent day in Seattle last month, I received an email from a staff member of the US Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee inquiring
New Study Finds Hundreds of Thousands of Washington Patients Receive Unnecessary Tests, Procedures, and Treatments
In one year, an estimated $282 million was spent on “wasteful” health care for 622,000 Washington patients Washington becomes just the third state in the nation to use a new
Updates to Common Measure Set focus on pediatrics
In 2014 Washington became one of the first states to agree upon a common measure set for health care quality and cost. The impetus was to align measurement efforts across
Washington state health care variation confirmed in new report
For five years, The Leapfrog Group – a national nonprofit organization comprised of large private and public healthcare purchasers – has issued the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, reporting on errors,
Measuring the quality of hospital care in Washington state
Since 2008, the Alliance has released an annual report highlighting health care quality and value at medical groups and hospitals in Washington state. Each year, the report demonstrates that the
Standardizing measurement of health care quality
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced a new agreement to standardize measures of health care quality. We applaud this announcement. The more organizations that can align
Getting the high-value care you deserve
In health care, high-value care means receiving high-quality care at the right price that leads to the best possible health outcome and reflects your values and needs. We put a
Understanding quality in health care
Quality varies widely from one provider’s office to another and even from one doctor’s patient to another. Not all care is equally good. Learn what you can do to find
AF4Q and taking local action to transform health care
As the end of April nears, so does the final date of the Washington Health Alliance’s participation in the Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) program. AF4Q has been the Robert
Support for health care transparency bill in Olympia
Updated February 11, 2015 A bill that would require health insurance companies to submit all patient claims to a statewide database, making health care cost and quality information more transparent, was
Transparency, innovation should be top priority for legislators in 2015
Last week, I joined more than 500 health care and business leaders at the 2015 State of Reform Health Policy Conference. For almost 30 years, this event has been inspiring
Health care transparency and the value equation
When we are in the doctor’s office, we all want the highest quality of care. While quality is obviously a very high priority, it isn’t the only thing that matters
Alliance partners with Consumer Reports to disseminate health care quality information
Thanks to a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Alliance will be joining a new initiative to make information about health care quality broadly available to consumers. The
Washington receives $65 million to accelerate health care innovation
Washington state just received a very nice Christmas gift from the federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) in the form of a $65 million grant to accelerate heath care
Purchaser power in the health care market
More than half of Americans get their health insurance through their employer. As a group, employers have enormous power to shape the health care market. But, employers rarely realize this. That’s
Alliance offers “continuing hope” for higher quality, more affordable health care system
Since the Alliance’s founding, we have served as a convener, building trust among those who give, get and pay for health care to create change in the health care system.
Employers role in the health care value equation
As a consumer, when you hear the word “value,” what does it mean to you? Do you think of what you can get at the local dollar store? Does it