Monthly Archive for June, 2011

Reducing vaccine hesitancy

Washington state is in many ways a great place to live and raise our children. But one aspect of life here could suddenly make our state more dangerous than others for kids : unvaccinated children.

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided the latest state performance rankings with childhood immunizations. The State of Washington had the highest percentage of kids who have been admitted to kindergarten with an immunization exemption; that means that we have a lot of kids in this state who are missing one or more immunizations either because of religious or philosophical objection. Increasingly, pediatricians and family physicians in our state are recognizing that many more parents are delaying or refusing one or more vaccines for their child. Scientific studies that track parental opinion confirm this. Continue reading ‘Reducing vaccine hesitancy’

From waste to value-conscious innovation: can Group Health show the way?

Audiences at Group Health’s annual Birnbaum Lecture often remember speakers for the challenging questions they raise. Take this year. On May 11, Canadian economist Robert G. Evans, PhD, praised Group Health for our idea-driven success. But then he asked: “If Group Health has a better mousetrap, why isn’t the world beating a path to your door?” And “Why is the whole U.S. health care system not dominated by organizations like Group Health?” When an audience member asked how to educate American voters about solutions to the health-cost crisis, he joked: “We (Canadians) have just elected a government that’s going to wipe out our Medicare system. Why are you asking me?”  Continue reading ‘From waste to value-conscious innovation: can Group Health show the way?’