Video: Highlights from the Between the Shades screening, panel discussion

In honor of Pride Month, the Washington Health Alliance hosted a screening of Between the Shades, a documentary by director Jill Salvino. For those who were not able to attend and those who would like to watch it again, the Alliance has put together a video that includes the conversation and interviews with panelists and attendees. Please ...
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Alliance Releases Total Cost of Care for Medical Groups and Clinics

I am delighted to report that the Washington Health Alliance is continuing its efforts to understand where Washington state is spending its health care dollars. Today we released our Total Cost of Care Report. Using medical claims and enrollment data from its voluntary All-Payer Claims Database from multiple payers, the Alliance combined the cost of ...
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The Time to Act is Now: The Toll of High Blood Pressure

More than 100 million American adults have high blood pressure (a reading of 130/80mm Hg or higher) but only about half actually have the condition under control. High blood pressure was linked to 70% of all major cardiovascular events in the U.S. and deaths from high blood pressure are on the increase; between 2009 and ...
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A Note from Alliance Executive Director Nancy Giunto on the End of WA-APCD Contract Negotiations

On June 10th, we received a letter from the Washington State Health Care Authority terminating contract negotiations with the Washington Health Alliance to serve as the Lead Organization for WA-APCD (LO). We began negotiations on October 24, 2019. I believe this is a very unfortunate outcome for our state. Throughout the negotiations, the Alliance was ...
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Future of the Health Workforce Summit

Many healthcare organizations in Washington state are encountering workforce woes with worker shortage, burnout, turnover, etc. But how can leadership successfully address these challenges? Join the Greater Columbia Accountable Community of Health (GCACH) for a unique opportunity to learn from experts on ways to strengthen and optimize your organization’s workforce strategy at its Future of ...
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The Alliance Welcomes New Members Spine Care Partners, LLC and The Vancouver Clinic

Spine Care Partners help providers deliver simpler, easier & better spine care that improves quality while reducing costs. They engage providers in their value enhancing best practices care program and provide an app that helps members make good decisions about their spine health. Learn more about Spine Care Partners, LLC. The Vancouver Clinic has supported ...
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Gun Violence: The Public Health Crisis

There is no denying that we’ve had to face a succession of difficult situations and bad news–the challenges of navigating through a pandemic, escalating inflation, and the devastating impact of gun violence, to name a few.  It’s only natural to feel that we can’t exert much control over the course of external events but let’s ...
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Between the Shades Director Jill Salvino Talks with the Alliance

Award-winning director Jill Salvino travels the country opening hearts and minds with Between the Shades—a film that can be described as 50 conversations exploring the many different shades of being gay in America. As part of the Washington Health Alliance Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Initiative event on June 25th at the Egyptian Theater in Seattle, ...
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Low-Back Pain Implementation Collaborative Reports on Progress

Washington Health Alliance Director of Purchaser Strategies Denise Giambalvo and Director of Data Management and Analyst Mark Pregler co-presented “Driving Market Change through Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration” at the Civitas Networks for Health Member Roundtable Meeting on May 23rd. They reported on the analysis conducted by the Alliance in the first phase of this work, Aligning to ...
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The Chilling Effect of Personal Liability for Medical Errors

More than 250,000 people die in the United States each year because of medical mistakes, making it the third highest cause of death in the country. Researchers found that most medical errors are caused by systemic problems, including poorly coordinated care, fragmented insurance networks, the absence or underuse of safety nets and other protocols, and ...
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National Alliance Leadership Summit on June 27-28 in Detroit Features Alliance Member WellSpark Health

The National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions is holding its 6th Annual Leadership Summits on June 27 and 28 in Detroit, Michigan, with virtual and in-person options. This is an opportunity to network and learn from key healthcare and benefits stakeholders and change agents. Attendees typically include employers (senior leaders in benefits, HR, finance, healthcare strategy, ...
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A Washington Health Alliance Diversity Initiative: Addressing the Behavioral Health Needs of the LGBTQ+ Community

There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has had serious repercussions on the nation’s mental health. A Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) survey shows that 25.9 million past-year users of alcohol and 10.9 million past-year users of drugs other than alcohol reported that they were using these substances “a little more ...
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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.