Press Releases

Seattle-based Group Health HMO rated top plan in U.S. by NBCH SEATTLE,  July 18, 2016 – The Washington Health Alliance (Alliance) announced results on the performance of six health plans in the state of Washington using eValue8TM, an assessment tool from the National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH). The Alliance found widespread differences among the ...

Patient experience survey sent to more than 181,000 patients in 14 Washington counties finds some improvement over previous surveys, but Washington state is still lagging behind national benchmarks SEATTLE, February 25, 2016 – Many patients are having a hard time getting timely appointments, care and information. By contrast, patients say provider communication is improving.  Overall, providers ...

Key element of Healthier Washington initiative allows for common understanding of areas for improvement and enables moving the market toward value-based purchasing Widespread variation common, impacting the quality of care Washingtonians receive SEATTLE, December 8, 2015 – The Washington Health Alliance (Alliance) and the Washington State Health Care Authority today released the first results for the ...

Funding from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation allows Alliance to join Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement’s pioneering price transparency project SEATTLE, November 30, 2015 – The Washington Health Alliance (Alliance) announced today that it had been selected by the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement (NRHI) to participate in its pioneering Total Cost of Care project, thanks to ...

Analyses based on race, ethnicity and language of patients finds variation in the care individuals receive. SEATTLE, September 17, 2015 – The Washington Health Alliance released today a new report revealing disparities in how health care is delivered across race, ethnicity and language. Findings reveal that disparities in care are a continuing problem in Washington state. ...

Washington Health Alliance, Washington State Medical Association, Group Health Cooperative and Swedish Health Services will partner on initiative SEATTLE (June 18, 2015) – A coalition of leading health care organizations in the state today announced that it received a 34-month grant from the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Foundation to expand work on Choosing ...

Coalition for Health Care Cost Transparency applauds Governor Jay Inslee and state legislators for bi-partisan effort Olympia, May 14, 2015—At a ceremony in his office today, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation to establish a fully functional All-Payer Claims Database (APCD), which will give consumers, providers and employers important new information to understand the quality ...

Governor could finally give consumers an effective All-Payer Claims Database OLYMPIA, Wash., April 20, 2015—In a big victory for the Coalition for Health Care Cost Transparency, the Legislature, with huge bipartisan support, late last week passed a bill to establish a fully functional All-Payer Claims Database (APCD), which would give health-care consumers something they have long ...

The Washington Health Alliance expands health care quality reporting into Skagit, Spokane and Whatcom counties Media Contact: John Gallagher, Washington Health Alliance, 206.454.2957, jgallagher@wahealthalliance.org The Washington Health Alliance announced today the release of the 2014 Community Checkup results. This version of the Community Checkup is the eighth time that the Alliance has produced these results, and it includes an ...

Analyses of hospital readmissions, potentially avoidable emergency room use and geographic distribution of common medical tests and procedures finds widespread variation by counties, age groups and gender. SEATTLE (January 29, 2015) – The Washington Health Alliance announced today the release of three new reports that detail potential overuse of health care services in Washington state.  ...

Fourfold differences in prices are common The Washington Health Alliance (the Alliance) announced today the publication of a new report that details tremendous variation in billing prices for common procedures among hospitals in Washington. The analysis, Hospital sticker shock: A report on hospital price variation in Washington state, finds that price variations from 200% to ...

Data from 3.3 million lives in Washington illustrates successes and opportunities for improvement Washington State Choosing Wisely Task Force unveils campaign to focus on imaging for uncomplicated headaches The first statewide report in the nation to measure Choosing Wisely® recommendations finds that patients in Washington may be exposed to care that they don’t need—and potential ...