Alliance Blog

“Americans aren’t buying more health care overall than other countries. But what they are buying is increasingly expensive.” I’m sure this quote from the recent Wall Street Journal article “Why Americans Spend So Much on Health Care” comes as no shock to any of you. Health care spending in our country is skyrocketing, currently accounting ...

In May, the Alliance released “Hospital Value in Washington State” – the first report in the state and one of the few nationally – that combines scores on hospital quality, patient experience and cost. Since its release, we have received many positive comments and some media attention centered on the report’s findings that higher cost ...

Nancy Guinto is on a well-deserved vacation, so this month’s letter is from the Alliance’s deputy director, Susie Dade. Just a couple of states away, Covered California – the state’s health insurance marketplace under the Affordable Care Act – announced it will exclude hospitals from being “in-network” if the hospitals haven’t met targets for safety ...

This month, we’re excited to welcome Oregon Health Leadership Council as the newest members of the Alliance. About Oregon Health Leadership Council The Oregon Health Leadership Council (formerly the Health Leadership Task Force) or OHLC is a collaborative organization working to develop practical solutions that reduce the rate of increase in health care costs and premiums so ...

First report in the state to publicly report on all three elements of hospital value Findings show that higher cost does not necessarily mean higher quality care SEATTLE – The Washington Health Alliance today released the first report in the state to publicly combine scores on quality, patient experience, and cost for Washington hospitals. Ranking ...

This month, we’re excited to welcome SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and NDSC as the newest members of the Alliance. About SEIU Healthcare 1199NW SEIU Healthcare 1199NW is the largest, most united union of healthcare workers in the nation. The union includes doctors, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, pharmacists, technicians, professionals, therapists, mental health workers, certified nursing ...

“A database is just a database unless you can actually take it to action.” I made that statement when I spoke at the National Employer Summit last month and I want to expand on what I mean by it and why I think it’s so important. Data is a crucial first step, but without mechanisms ...

As part of its Getting to Affordability initiative, the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement (NRHI) and the Washington Health Alliance partnered to address how to work collaboratively to achieve price transparency. The organizations created a learning module that features interviews with members of the Alliance’s Board of Directors, who discuss the journey to gain access ...

The Lown Institute’s Annual Conference was held last week, with the theme of “Breaking the cycle of high cost and low value: America’s next health system.” The Alliance’s Deputy Director, Susie Dade, presented on our “First, Do No Harm” report, which used Milliman’s MedInsight Health Waste Calculator to quantify low-value health care services in Washington ...

In February, the Alliance released “First, Do No Harm,” our report on unnecessary health care in Washington state. The report used the MedInsight Health Waste Calculator to quantify wasteful care and estimated costs associated with it. We’re pleased that the report has been received with enthusiasm by members and stakeholders across the state. However, our ...

The Washington Health Alliance is excited to announce that Puget Sound Energy and SEIU 775 Benefits Group have agreed to become data suppliers for the Alliance’s voluntary All-Payer Claims Database (APCD). The addition of these two organizations to the Alliance’s APCD will add nearly 11,000 covered lives to this already robust database, which dates back ...

This month, we’re excited to welcome Celgene Corporation, Magellan Health and Quad+Aim Partners as the newest members of the Alliance. About Celgene Corporation Celgene seeks to deliver truly innovative and life-changing drugs for their patients. Their vision is to build a major global biopharmaceutical corporation while focusing on the discovery, the development, and the commercialization ...