Alliance Blog

The National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions (National Alliance) presented its eValue8™ Innovation Awards to two Washington state health plans, Cigna and Kaiser Permanente Washington (KP WA), for programs that use innovative approaches to deliver high quality health care. Both winners focused on helping patients access resources that were not directly related to health care, ...

As we enter the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no doubt that it is continuing to have dramatic effects on people’s lives and not just on those who have contracted the disease. There are less obvious, but just as profound impacts that are coming to light on how pandemic-related stress is affecting ...

We are pleased to announce that Jay Fathi, MD, President and Chief Executive Office of Molina Healthcare of Washington, Inc. has joined the Washington Health Alliance’s board of directors. Dr. Fathi is a family physician and recognized community and health care leader across Washington State. After serving for 12 years as a full spectrum family ...

We are pleased to welcome Vandna “Van” Chaudhari, FACHE, PMP, MHA, the Administrator of Value Based Care and previously Population Health Management at UW Medicine, to her role as Chair of the Washington Health Alliance’s Consumer Education Committee. Van holds a Master’s in Health Care Administration and has been with UW Medicine for 10 years. ...

As part of the eValue8™ review process, the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions is recognizing innovation to a health plan that has made significant progress in implementing value-based care in its upcoming annual forum from November 8th through the 10th. Four health plans from Washington state are included for their unique approaches; Aetna, Cigna, ...

The Alliance’s work continues to draw diverse audiences for its innovative approach to using data to improve the quality of health care. Last month, Washington Health Alliance Executive Director Nancy Giunto presented virtually at the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans’ 67th annual conference. The IFEBP has 32,000 members, including Taft-Hartley management and labor trusts, ...

This month, the Washington Health Alliance ended our 2021 Framework for Action Series with the Bree Collaborative with an inspiring and informative discussion on how multi-payer strategies can support value-based payment. “Teamwork” is the most important component of primary care transformation at the practice level, according to Lisa Dulsky-Watkins, MD, Director, Multi-State Collaborative with the ...

This summer we released Aligning to Drive Value, a white paper describing our progress on a grant-funded project that leveraged the Alliance’s data and convening efforts with eight of our purchaser members representing more than 500,000 covered lives in Washington State. The primary aim of the effort was to use data-driven insights and collaboration to ...

I am very pleased to let you know that Sharon I. Eloranta, MD, will be joining the Washington Health Alliance on October 11, 2021 as the Medical Director of Performance Measurement and Care Transformation. Sharon is the perfect fit for this inaugural role given her rich background and professional experience, as well as her long ...

I am writing this message as I wind down my time at the Alliance in anticipation of taking on a new opportunity and returning to Kansas City, the place I called home for more than 30 years before joining the Alliance. As I reflect on what has been a shorter than expected, but very important ...

Washington Health Alliance Executive Director Nancy Giunto has served on the board of the Network for Regional Health Improvement for several years. On October 1st, NRHI became affiliated with SHEIC, Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative, to create Civitas Networks for Health, a national collaborative representing 95% of the United States and comprised of member organizations ...

Washington state is the first in the nation to implement a publicly-funded long-term care support and services program. The law, passed in 2019, was designed to help address the significant need of the aging population and to reduce the financial burden on the state’s Medicaid program. Starting January 1st, employers are required to collect payments ...