Alliance Blog

Governor Inslee announced this morning that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has awarded Washington State $1.5 billion for Medicaid transformation as part of the governor’s Healthier Washington initiative. We applaud the hard work and negotiations our colleagues at the State engaged in to reach an agreement in-principle with CMS. The 1115 Medicaid ...

The Alliance is pleased to announce the launch of its newly enhanced Own Your Health website. The Own Your Health campaign empowers Washington consumers to become active participants in their own health and health care. Thanks to a generous grant from the Washington State Health Care Authority’s Healthier Washington initiative, the Alliance has redesigned the Own ...

It’s been an eventful summer for the Alliance, and I want to update you on the Alliance’s direction in the coming months. As you know, the state decided to select two out-of-state vendors to run the WA-APCD, and it is fair to ask how that decision will impact the Alliance’s core work of convening and ...

This month, we’re excited to welcome Orexigen Therapeutics and rebmeM as the newest members of the Alliance. About Orexigen Therapeutics Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of obesity. Orexigen’s first medicine, Contrave® (naltrexone HCl and bupropion HCl extended release), was approved in the United States in September 2014 and has ...

The Health Care Incentives Improvement Institute (HCI3) and the Catalyst for Payment Reform recently released their fourth report card on State Price Transparency Laws. Colorado, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Oregon stand atop the rankings with “A” and “B” grades. Forty-three states, Washington among them, earned an “F” grade for price transparency for the fourth ...

Shining a light on unwarranted variation in health care drives our efforts on public reporting of health care performance. In the coming weeks, we will be publishing reports on variation. Different Regions, Different Care is a report that will highlight how geography has an impact on how frequently people get certain treatments and procedures. In ...

Today, the Alliance learned it has not been chosen by the Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) as the Apparently Successful Bidder to serve as the Lead Organization for the Washington State All-Payer Claims Database (WA-APCD). The Alliance was a finalist during the procurement process that was completed on July 15th. The announcement, which was ...

Despite the beckoning summer sun, the Alliance team has been busier than ever working on projects that will provide value to not only our members, but to all health care consumers and purchasers in our state. Later this month we will be releasing three new reports on quality and utilization of health care, as well ...

This month, we’re excited to welcome Alvarez & Marsal as the newest member of the Alliance. About Alvarez & Marsal Privately held since 1983, Alvarez & Marsal is a leading global professional services firm that delivers business performance improvement, turnaround management and advisory services to organizations seeking to transform operations, catapult growth and accelerate results ...

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of presenting at the National Employer Leadership Seminar, an invitation-only event sponsored by the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement (NRHI).  The goal of the seminar was to share best practices in engaging purchasers to move the market to purchasing for value. There were many opportunities to talk about ...

A few weeks ago, Seattle and the nation were transfixed by a young man’s 24 hour standoff in a downtown Seattle tree. This is an opportunity for us to reflect on the state of mental health services in Washington, and figure out how we can do better. One study, which looked at prevalence of mental ...

This month, we’re excited to welcome Foster Pepper as the newest member of the Alliance. Foster Pepper For more than a century, Foster Pepper has been an integral part of the growth of the Pacific Northwest community. With more than 130 attorneys located in Seattle and Spokane, Washington, the firm has the deep industry knowledge, ...