Washington Health Alliance releases its latest Community Checkup
SEATTLE, WA — Where can you get high quality health care in Washington state?
The Washington Health Alliance (Alliance) answers that question with its 16th Community Checkup report released today with results for more than 2,200 unique entities; medical groups, hospitals, clinics, and health plans, and continues its long tradition of providing transparency on the state’s health care system.
“This Community Checkup is much more than numbers,” says Alliance Executive Director Nancy Giunto. “It embodies the spirit of the Alliance as a trusted and credible community resource dedicated to the successful collaboration among stakeholders who participate in each step of the Alliance’s reporting with one over-arching goal, improving the health care delivered to all Washingtonians.”
For this Community Checkup, the Alliance used its voluntary All Payer Claims Database (APCD) to analyze medical claims from January 1 through December 31, 2020 for more than 4 million people, more than 50% of Washington state’s population. Results are reported statewide on dozens of measures for health plans, provider organizations, and on a geographic level, for all 39 counties, and Accountable Communities of Health (ACHs) and are searchable on the Alliance’s website at WACommunityCheckup.org.
Using medical claims data for calendar year 2020, the Alliance ranks medical groups, clinics, counties, and Accountable Communities of Health (ACHs) with its signature ranking tool, the Quality Composite Score, compiling performance on up to 29 measures considered strong indicators of quality primary care. These medical groups are the top performers in the state, according to their Quality Composite Scores.
| Commercial | Medicaid | ||
| Virginia Mason Medical Center | EvergreenHealth Medical Group | ||
| Kaiser Permanente Washington | MultiCare Rockwood Clinic* | ||
| University of Washington Medical Center | Confluence Health Central Washington Hospital and Clinics | ||
| Swedish Medical Group | Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic* | ||
| Association of University Physicians DBA UW Physicians | Swedish Medical Group |
An *indicates that more than 50% of patients from that medical group have Medicaid coverage.
This edition of the Community Checkup contains three new measures (prenatal and postnatal care and the prescription of high dosage opioids), a summary of Washington state’s performance and on more than 25 Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measures, as reported by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA); and a review of health care spending from 2015-2020 by Washington state, the largest purchaser of health care in the state.
“We aren’t done yet,” Giunto added. “The Alliance has big plans for more reporting in the coming months. By adding a cost domain to complement our Quality Composite Score, we will shed light on the elusive question, ‘Does paying more mean you get higher quality health care?’ In addition, we will be releasing a new Total Cost of Care report that analyzes costs on the medical group and clinic level.”
About the Washington Health Alliance
The Washington Health Alliance (Alliance) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit nonpartisan organization working collaboratively to transform Washington state’s health care system for the better. The Alliance brings together more than 185 committed member organizations to improve health and health care by offering a forum for critical conversation and aligned efforts by health plans, employers, union trusts, hospitals and hospital systems, health care professionals, start-up companies, consultants, consumers, and other health care partners. The Alliance believes strongly in transparency and offers trusted and credible reporting of progress on health care equity, quality, pricing, and overall spending. The Alliance publishes its reports at WACommunityCheckup.org and provides guidance for consumers at OwnYourHealthWA.org so that individuals can make informed health care decisions.
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Date: March 24, 2022
Contact: Leslie Bennett
Phone: 206.454.2961
Email: lbennett@wahealthalliance.org