Alliance Blog

This month, we’re excited to welcome two new members: International Community Health Services and Woodcreek Healthcare. Thanks to the support of our members, the Alliance is able to produce the Community Checkup and move the needle toward a more transparent and high-quality health system. International Community Health Services International Community Health Services (ICHS) is a ...

We are pleased to publish the detailed, county-level data we used to produce the 2014 Disparities in Care Report. Organizations such as public health departments, city and county governments, regional health improvement groups and hospitals have all expressed interested in gaining access to this data. Why? This data can inform health equity initiatives, population health ...

This month, we’re excited to welcome two new members: xG Health Solutions™ and Northwest Administrators, Inc. Thanks to the support of our members, the Alliance is able to produce the Community Checkup and move the needle toward a more transparent and high-quality health system. xG Health Solutions™ xG Health Solutions’ mission is to help health ...

In 2014, the Washington State Legislature passed ESHB 2572, which is a law relating to improving the effectiveness of health care purchasing and transforming the health care delivery system. A portion of this legislation (Section 6) relates to the development of a statewide core measure set. In response, the Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) with ...

The Alliance, on behalf of its members, has for the last several years worked with the National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH) to conduct a rigorous evaluation of health plans in Washington state using the eValue8 tool. We are pleased to share the results of the 2014 evalue8 process in our latest report, 2014 Report ...

Nationally, disparities in care have become a hot topic as health care systems begin to implement population management strategies. There are many national and state-level reports on disparities that look at health outcomes. However, the focus of the Alliance’s 2014 report on disparities in care is on process measures which reflect how often evidence-based care is ...

Learn about The Everett Clinic’s precedent-setting decision to begin posting self-pay prices on their website, beginning with six common imaging services. This action was met with positive attention from the media, health care professionals, patients and community members across the state. Download the June 2014 Spotlight on Improvement (775 KB PDF) >>

This month, we’re excited to welcome three new members: Capital Benefit Services, Inc., Capital Medical Center and Washington Managed Imaging. Thanks to the support of our members, the Alliance is able to produce the Community Checkup, moving the needle toward a more transparent and high-quality health care system. Capital Benefit Services, Inc. Capital Benefit Services has been providing comprehensive ...

As part of Journalists on Quality, a series of insightful profiles written by prominent health policy journalists on how Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Aligning Forces for Quality initiative has affected health care in local communities, journalist Duncan Moore describes how the Washington Health Alliance has fostered a culture of health focused on wellness and transparency ...

The Alliance’s executive director, Mary McWilliams, has decided to retire from her position later this year. Mary has had a long and distinguished career in health care and decided this is the right time to retire, knowing the Alliance is in a strong position. She believes that the start of new initiatives for statewide expansion ...

The Washington Health Alliance (the Alliance) today unveiled its new name and released its first Community Checkup to include health care quality results for the entire state. To reflect its expansion beyond its original five-county region, the Alliance, formerly known as the Puget Sound Health Alliance, has changed its name and will be reaching out ...

A article in the Puget Sound Business Journal by Valerie Bauman reported on trends in health care in 2014, quoting Mary McWilliams, executive director of the Washington Health Alliance. Bauman wrote: “Transparency will be the health care buzzword of 2014, particularly in Washington, which has an industry-government collaboration working to bring clarity to the health ...