WHA goes beyond data. We bring together employers, health plans, providers, and community organizations to turn insights into action.
Our initiatives tackle the biggest drivers of cost, waste, and inequity in Washington’s health care system — because better data alone doesn’t change the system. People working together does.

Featured Initiative: Chronic Kidney Disease Dashboard and Learning Collaborative

 

Chronic kidney disease is one of Washington’s most underdiagnosed conditions. Most people living with CKD don’t know it until the disease has already progressed to a stage that is harder to treat and far more costly. The good news: earlier detection works. With the right tools, data, and collaboration, health plans, providers, and employers can identify risk earlier, close care gaps, and improve outcomes for Washington patients.

Washington Health Alliance has spent the last two years building the coalition, measures, and infrastructure to make that happen. We started by convening health plan medical directors, providers, and community organizations to surface what was getting in the way of earlier diagnosis and better care. What came back was a clear mandate: Washington needed shared, actionable data to drive coordinated action.

So we built it. In 2025, WHA developed a first-of-its-kind set of claims-based CKD measures grounded in national care guidelines and vetted across our coalition. These measures give health plans, employers, and providers a common view of where care gaps exist and where intervention can make the biggest difference. From that foundation, WHA launched a Learning Collaborative that brings together health plan leaders, clinicians, and employers to turn that data into action.

This is what real collaboration looks like — not a report, not a recommendation, but a coalition with shared measures, shared goals, and the will to move.

 

See what we built. →

Initiative Timeline

2023
September — Launched
WHA hosted its first CKD educational webinar, establishing the foundation for a multi-stakeholder coalition.
2024
September — Health plans convened
WHA brought together health plan medical directors to identify high-impact opportunities for improving CKD screening and care management.
October — Providers commit
A provider and community organization workgroup produced concrete commitments around early detection, equity, and cross-sector collaboration.
2025
Measures developed
With support from Bayer and Boehringer Ingelheim, WHA developed and vetted a first-of-its-kind set of claims-based CKD measures grounded in national care guidelines.
2026
January — Learning Collaborative launched
Employers, health plan leaders, and clinicians came together to build action plans for improving early CKD screening and treatment across Washington state.

Other WHA Initiatives

Employee Resource Groups

Focus Area Employee Benefits

Helping Employers Connect With Their Employees

Employee Resource Groups give WHA the opportunity to leverage its years of driving impactful conversations to better connect employers with their employees to ensure benefits are not just understood, but they are properly utilized to ensure overall health and wellbeing.

Learn More

Low Back Pain Implementation Collaborative

Focus Area Evidence-Based Care

Getting Low Back Pain Treatment Right

Low back pain is one of the most overtreated conditions in American medicine — and one of the most expensive. WHA's Low Back Pain Implementation Collaborative brought together employers, health plans, and providers to shift the standard of care toward evidence-based treatment. The goal: patients recover faster, avoid unnecessary procedures, and spend less out of pocket.

Learn More

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Initiative

Focus Area Health Equity

Building a System That Works for Everyone

Washington's health care system does not serve everyone equally. WHA's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiative uses data to surface disparities by race, ethnicity, and community — and convenes members to build concrete solutions. Because improving health in Washington means improving it for every Washingtonian.

Learn More

Own Your Health

Focus Area Consumer Empowerment

Helping Washingtonians Take Charge of Their Care

Own Your Health gives Washington residents the tools and information to make smarter, more confident decisions about their care. From finding high-quality providers to understanding costs before scheduling, Own Your Health puts patients in the driver's seat — so they can get the right care at the right price.

Visit Own Your Health

The Obesity Workgroup

Focus Area Employer Benefits

Helping Employers Better Support Employee Health

The Obesity Workgroup brought together public and private employers and union trusts for a candid look at what's working — and what isn't — in their health and wellness benefits. Over four months, members identified specific changes employers can make to better support employees managing their weight and long-term health outcomes.

Learn More