Alliance Blog

WHA Senate Letter N. Giunto FINAL

I am delighted to report that the legislation to move us closer to a single statewide All-Payer Claims Database (APCD) has successfully moved through both houses of the Washington legislature. It passed the House 91 to 5 on April 16th and passed the Senate 44 to 1 on April 26th. It is currently awaiting Governor ...

Happily, spring is here and we can finally put our snow shovels away! Last month was a big one for the Alliance. At our All-Alliance meeting, we welcomed more than a hundred people (thank you for your support!), heard from Chris Koller, President of the Milbank Memorial Fund, and released our newest reports on inpatient ...

This month, we’re excited to welcome ArevoHealth, Inc. as the newest member of the Alliance. About arevohealth The arevohealth platform is designed for self-insured employers and their employees to help optimize healthcare benefits while driving significant savings for both. Arevo’s solution bridges the frustrating gaps between insurers, hospitals, medical providers, and patients; solving the significant ...

March 7, 2019 Via Email The Honorable Lamar Alexander 455 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senator Alexander, Thank you for the opportunity to provide recommendations to help reduce waste in our health care system. The Washington Health Alliance (Alliance) is pleased to respond to your call to action as we have spent ...

Reducing waste and making health care affordable—these are issues that engender more questions than answers. But I’m happy to report there is some encouraging news. We are fortunate to have a speaker coming to our next all-Alliance meeting who has some provocative things to say on the subject. Chris Koller, President of the Milbank Memorial ...

This month, we’re excited to welcome Prescryptive Health, Inc. as the newest member of the Alliance. About Prescryptive Health, Inc. Prescryptive, a new company that launched on January 1, 2019, is looking to put the prescription drug purchasing power in the hands of patients. CEO and co-founder Chris Blackley says Prescryptive has the potential to ...

It’s hard to believe we’re going backwards in the immunization department. But that’s exactly what’s happening. The recent measles outbreak in Clark County and across the country is evidence that our data is right: children are not always getting their well-child visits which is an important opportunity to ensure they are receiving the immunizations they ...

You cut your finger making dinner. You’re not sure if you need stitches, and you have a high deductible. You quickly check online for the cost and the waiting time at the nearest hospital emergency room. But all you can find is a $307 charge for something described as a LAY CLOS HND/FT=<2.5CM.  What the ...

This month, we’re excited to welcome Polsinelli as the newest member of the Alliance. About Polsinelli Polsinelli  provides a full-spectrum of legal services in a range of industries. This firm is committed to providing advice that meets the strategic business objectives of their regional and national clients. Recognized in the legal community for their achievements, ...

In the introduction to our 2018 Community Checkup – just released this week – we use the metaphor of a journey to describe our health care improvement efforts in Washington state. Along with our health care partners and stakeholders, we have been on this journey for more than two decades. And like kids in the ...

Our second “First, Do No Harm: Calculating Health Care Waste in Washington State” is out. This year’s report looks at 48 measures of common medical treatments, tests and procedures using the MedInsight Health Waste Calculator from Milliman.  The report found that an estimated $341 million was spent on unnecessary health care in Washington state during a one-year period ...