Washington state sees bump in hospital safety scores

The Washington Health Alliance (WHA), the independent purchaser-led health care collaborative in the state, and the Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit focused on safety, released last week the fall hospital safety grades.

With a marked improvement over 2023, efforts across the state’s health system have pushed the statewide ranking for hospitals with “A” scores up eight places to 17th nationally.

See how the state performed and which hospitals improved

Get Involved in 2025

The Washington Health Alliance invites you to partner with us for our 2025 educational forum, "Balancing the Value Equation in Healthcare."

Join health care leaders in Seattle on April 9th for actionable insights on pressing health care issues. Together, we can drive market change to improve the health of all Washingtonians.

The Alliance is considering panels and keynotes touching on these topics and others:

• Value-based contracting (primary care, surgical, disease management)

• Outcomes-driven disease management programs

• Hospital fair pricing

• AI’s impact on employee benefits and health care

• Gap closure in disparate populations

• Pharmacy benefits (fiduciary responsibilities – risk management; high-cost claims)

• Mental health (outcomes-based measurement; substance use disorder; going upstream to improve access)

Keynote speakers include Cora Opsahl, Health Fund Director at Building Services 32BJ Benefits Fund, and Ge Bai, PhD, CPA, Professor of Accounting at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and Professor of Health Policy & Management at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Learn More About Sponsorship

How does Washington State perform on diabetes care?

It's National Diabetes Awareness Month, and the Washington Health Alliance wants to highlight how our health system performs on care for a disease that impacts as many as 50,000 new residents a year.

Read the full blog post.

Voters elect new Washington Insurance Commissioner

Ahead of the 2024 general election, the Washington Health Alliance, with the help of some members, asked a series of questions of the two candidates for insurance commissioner. The voters have spoken and Sen. Patty Kuderer, a Democrat from Bellevue, was elected to serve four years as commissioner. Listen to what she had to say on several important health care topics.

Patty Kuderer

Native American Heritage Month: Personal and Professional Reflections

Alliance member Michael Garrett penned an essay for Native American Heritage Month for Case Management Society of America that looks at the obstacles facing Native people such as health disparities.

"AI/AN people have the lowest life expectancy at birth among all racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. This is a sobering reality. In 2021, the leading causes of death in non-Hispanic American Indians and Alaska Natives were COVID-19, heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, and chronic liver disease. (OMH, n.d.)."

Read the essay.

What is value-based cancer care? A new model for targeting quality and cost

Free Webinar | Jan. 15 from 12 to 1 p.m. PT

The American Cancer Society projects that, for the first time, the U.S. will surpass two million new cancer diagnoses this year. Now more than ever, it’s crucial for employers to connect their people with high-quality cancer care that costs members little to nothing. During this webinar, please join the Washington Health Alliance to learn why they have chosen Carrum Health as a strategic partner.

You will learn how to:

• Qualify and implement solutions focused on high-value cancer care

• Engage members in individualized care navigation and second-opinion programs

• Provide your members with an end-to-end solution that is low or no-cost

Speakers include:

• Deirdre Saulet, PhD, VP of Cancer Care at Carrum Health

• Drew Oliveira, MD, MHA, Executive Director of the Washington Health Alliance

This event is free and open to all Alliance members and non-members.

Our members and supporters can be the best ambassadors for our work. If you know someone who would like to learn more about membership in the Alliance, contact Denise Giambalvo, Director of Member Engagement & Business Strategy, at dgiambalvo@wahealthalliance.org.

Share This Email