Welcome new members Columbia United Providers, Inc. (CUP), Type2Companion.com and Recon Strategy

This month, we’re excited to welcome Columbia United Providers, Inc. (CUP), Type2Companion.com and Recon Strategy as our newest members. 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. Columbia United Providers, Inc. (CUP) Columbia United Providers, Inc. (CUP) ...
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Statewide common measures set now open for public comment

In June 2014, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee appointed a diverse group of leaders to serve on the Performance Measures Coordinating Committee (PMCC) to recommend standard statewide measures of health performance to inform public and private health care purchasing, as well as propose targets to track costs and improvements in health outcomes. The committee, along ...
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Reduce your hospital “sticker shock”

Sometimes you can’t avoid going to the hospital, but you can try to be prepared before you go. Understand which hospitals are in your insurance plan’s network, know the details of your plan’s cost-sharing arrangement and if uninsured, begin to investigate the financial aid options at your local hospital. Why is it important, before going ...
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Welcome to the Alliance Blog!

The Washington Health Alliance has cultivated a reputation for its nonpartisan reporting on health care quality and cost in Washington state. For the last decade, our reports have been used by health care purchasers, such as King County government, to save millions of dollars on health care spending. Providers have used our data to see ...
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Welcome new members International Community Health Services and Woodcreek Healthcare

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 ...
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Release of county-level data reveals disparities in care

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 ...
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Welcome new members xG Health Solutions and Northwest Administrators, Inc.

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 ...
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Committees to develop standard statewide measures of performance

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 ...
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2014 eValue8™ assessment on health plans now available

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 ...
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Disparities in Care 2014 Report released

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 ...
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Improving price transparency: The Everett Clinic takes first step toward price transparency

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) >>
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Welcome new members, Capital Benefit Services, Inc., Capital Medical Center and Washington Managed Imaging

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 ...
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The Alliance routinely shares information from our insightful analyses, reports and convenings, along with important news that impacts the Washington health care system.