Alliance Blog

Highlights:

Dr. Jonathan Sugarman, a dedicated advocate for improving health care quality in the state of Washington, passed away earlier this month during an expedition on Mt. Everest.   Throughout his long and impactful career, Dr. Sugarman served for two decades as the president and CEO of Qualis Health, now known as Comagine, driving positive change in ...

Everside Health is one of the nation’s largest providers of direct primary and mental health care—Improving outcomes with tech-enabled predictive care, reducing costs, and providing holistic solutions, in person and virtually, for employees, patients, and their families. Learn more about Everside Health.

Astellas contributes toward improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products. They go beyond all others in exploring and tapping the potential of the life sciences. They continue tackling new challenges and creating innovative pharmaceutical products. They support healthy living for people around the world. Learn more ...

SEATTLE – The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit representing hundreds of the nation’s most influential employers and purchasers of health care, driven in Washington State by the Washington Health Alliance, announced the new spring 2023 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades. Hospitals earn an “A”,“B”, “C”, “D”, or “F” Hospital Safety Grade reflecting how well they protect ...

For National STI Awareness month, the Washington Health Alliance is drawing attention to the low rates of chlamydia screenings in primary care settings. Our latest data shows that 6 in 10 commercially insured women age 16 to 24 are not getting screened.   Focus has been put on the spread of sexually transmitted infections throughout ...

As a global leader in diabetes care, Abbott is constantly working to deliver the highest quality products and unwavering support to their customers. Consistent and accurate glucose monitoring is the foundation of any diabetes management plan so they’ve committed to continuous improvement in the way patients and professionals measure, track and analyze glucose levels. Learn ...

Earlier this month, the Alliance hosted a webinar to highlight the latest insights from its 17th Community Checkup report with emphasis on a new tool that shows how someone’s advantage or disadvantage can directly impact the quality of care they receive across Washington state. This new report, released on March 7, included the most expansive ...

Homethrive’s two founders both experienced the challenges of caregiving for family members while working. They found a confusing, hard to navigate system. Even after taking countless days off work and spending long hours on the phone, they couldn’t find the answers they needed. They knew there had to be a better way, so they created ...

The Mission of Health Care Originals is to help people listen to their bodies in new ways, tapping the previously underutilized science of sound to map and understand human performance. Their goal is to improve the continuum of care for respiratory disease – from drug development through individual monitoring, empowering patients to live better with ...

The health of all Washingtonians has been a driving force behind the Washington Health Alliance since we expanded beyond the Puget Sound in 2013.  Now, we plan to increase our efforts on driving equity in health care across our state. There cannot be quality in health care without first addressing equity.   We’ve long known ...

When asked for bold steps in 2023 during State of Reform’s Washington Health Policy conference, Alliance Executive Director Dr. Drew Oliveira said it comes down to pushing outside the status quo.   “We are in Seattle where everyone tries to play nice – play nice in the sandbox, be friendly.  everyone needs to be a little ...

Behavioral Health Systems, Inc. provides a personalized approach to behavioral health. BHS provides comprehensive behavioral health services to employers and their covered members, recognizing that when an employee is experiencing stress on the job, struggling with substance abuse or simply looking for advice balancing life’s difficult duties, they need somewhere to turn. Learn more about ...

As we round out 2022, the Washington Health Alliance remains grateful for member and community support that has empowered us to develop new, innovative reports, bring organizations and individuals together on crucial healthcare issues, and drive change toward better health for all Washingtonians.   While the Alliance staff has accomplished much in the past year, projects ...

Last week, we attended the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions annual conference in Washington, DC.  The National Alliance brings together 45 coalitions from around the country to address topics of concern for everyone.  Most of these coalitions are purchaser-based ranging from non-profits, like WHA, to cooperatives and for-profit organizations.  This year was no different ...

Equitable access to high-value, appropriate care is core to the mission of the Washington Health Alliance and its 185 multi-stakeholder member organizations. However, a September ruling from a federal judge in Texas on a lawsuit attacking the Affordable Care Act may erode the progress our health care system has made toward that goal. We are ...

In recognition of the upcoming Transgender Awareness Week, and building off of its Pride Month documentary viewing and panel discussion, the Alliance has released an Action Brief that focuses on addressing barriers to behavioral health care for the LGBTQ+ community. Across Washington, LGBTQ+ population is estimated at 5.2% and represents about 6% of the workforce ...

Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Washington’s state lawmakers expressed clear intentions to further protect reproductive rights, including access to abortion. In late October, a group of lawmakers joined Gov. Jay Inslee to highlight a legislative agenda for the coming 2023 session that will focus on protecting those ...

Earlier this month, the Alliance and its partner, the Foundation for Health Care Quality (FHCQ), hosted its fourth webinar in the “Change In Action” series that looks at how value is paid for in health care. The hourlong event, “Blowing up the Value Equation: Rethinking Value and How We Get There,” includes a discussion between ...

Last month I became the new executive director of the Washington Health Alliance (WHA) after having supported the Alliance for years as a former Board member, physician participant, and health plan leader. It is an honor to serve with such a dedicated staff and Board of Directors on the crucial work of improving the health of all ...

For 22 years, Northwest Health Law Advocates (NoHLA) has been working to improve access to health care for all Washington residents to advance health as a human right. NoHLA is at the forefront of efforts to ensure Washington State’s new health system attracts enrollees and that it works for all residents, including those who are ...

Quilted Health is a dedicated team of Certified Nurse Midwives, Licensed Midwives and Client Care Professionals. They partner with the best birth doulas, obstetricians, wellness providers and community organizations to provide personalized, whole-person care. Learn more about Quilted Health.

In honor of Pride Month, the Washington Health Alliance hosted a screening of Between the Shades, a documentary by director Jill Salvino. For those who were not able to attend and those who would like to watch it again, the Alliance has put together a video that includes the conversation and interviews with panelists and attendees. Please ...

I am delighted to report that the Washington Health Alliance is continuing its efforts to understand where Washington state is spending its health care dollars. Today we released our Total Cost of Care Report. Using medical claims and enrollment data from its voluntary All-Payer Claims Database from multiple payers, the Alliance combined the cost of ...

More than 100 million American adults have high blood pressure (a reading of 130/80mm Hg or higher) but only about half actually have the condition under control. High blood pressure was linked to 70% of all major cardiovascular events in the U.S. and deaths from high blood pressure are on the increase; between 2009 and ...

On June 10th, we received a letter from the Washington State Health Care Authority terminating contract negotiations with the Washington Health Alliance to serve as the Lead Organization for WA-APCD (LO). We began negotiations on October 24, 2019. I believe this is a very unfortunate outcome for our state. Throughout the negotiations, the Alliance was ...

Many healthcare organizations in Washington state are encountering workforce woes with worker shortage, burnout, turnover, etc. But how can leadership successfully address these challenges? Join the Greater Columbia Accountable Community of Health (GCACH) for a unique opportunity to learn from experts on ways to strengthen and optimize your organization’s workforce strategy at its Future of ...