Only nine Medicare Advantage plans in the country earned 5 stars overall, and Group Health Cooperative’s plan is one of them.
Numbers are the currency of the land—the best way we have to demonstrate accountability and transparency regarding how we take care of people. But over the years our concept of quality has evolved beyond just scores and numbers. Continue reading ‘Performance Matters’
For the fifth report in a row, Group Health’s group practice received the most top ratings on quality care measures in the Puget Sound Health Alliance (PSHA) Community Checkup, which was released last week.
The Community Checkup reports on performance related to the treatment of asthma, diabetes, depression, prevention of certain diseases, and the use of antibiotics and generic medications. Continue reading ‘Group Health still #1 in PSHA Community Checkup’
Group Health and the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) are finalizing a new affiliation that will broaden treatment options for our medical oncology patients served at Bellevue, Olympia, Seattle and Tacoma medical centers.
SCCA is a world-class cancer treatment center that unites doctors from Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center, University of Washington Medicine, and Seattle Children’s. It invites affiliates that meet its high standards as a clinical partner. Continue reading ‘New cancer care affiliation broadens treatment options’
If you missed Group Health’s first-ever Innovations Conference on March 25, take the next two minutes to check out the highlight video. My colleagues wowed conference guests like State Health Officeer Maxine Hayes, King County Executive Dow Constantine, thought leaders from Puget Sound Health Alliance, and fellow doctors from Polyclinic, PacMed, Franciscan Hospital and dozens of other groups.
Pioneering researcher, professor, and author John E. Wennberg, MD, MPH gave the keynote address on “Tracking Medicine: A Researcher’s Quest to Understand Health Care.”
Group Health created this event as a day of industry learning. It was a chance to share things we do know about transforming delivery systems, and more importantly, to talk about the things we have yet to learn. Continue reading ‘Innovations Conference content now online’
Tonight I’m finalizing my remarks for Group Health’s first-ever industry learning event, called “Innovating through Engagement” at the Seattle Westin on March 25.
Around 300 of our region’s pioneering health care leaders, thinkers, and doers are coming together for this day of learning. Continue reading ‘Innovations Conference tomorrow’
I recently had the opportunity to meet with Secretary for Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius and Washington State Gov. Christine Gregoire and share innovations in care that are making a difference.
The following are highlights of what I presented:
Group Health Physicians is a multi-specialty Group Practice of 1,000 doctors who practice medicine in 26 Group Health Medical Centers, 4 multi-specialty sites, and in partner hospitals across the state.
We are demonstrating that physician-led delivery system reform can bring down costs through improving quality and patient experience. Continue reading ‘Talking about care innovations with Secretary Sebelius & Governor Gregoire’
Group Health is one of the highest rated health plans and among the top 50 in the nation, according to the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2010-2011—Private.
The rankings combine quality of care, customer satisfaction, and accreditation scores, comparing more than 227 private plans across the nation. They are available online at NCQA’s Web site at http://www.ncqa.org/tabid/1243/Default.aspx. Continue reading ‘Group Health sees a big jump in NCQA private plan rankings’
I am very excited to share that the American Medical Group Association (AMGA) has honored our work with its 2010 Acclaim Award. This acknowledgement is especially meaningful because it goes well beyond typical awards for individual improvement projects. The Acclaim Award is about delivery system transformation. It’s a huge validation for a broad, dramatic body of innovative work spanning many years. So before I go any further, I want to say thank you, and well done to my colleagues! Continue reading ‘Innovation is where we shine’
During the last week of July I traveled to the Colorado Health Foundation’s annual symposium in Keystone, CO. It was an honor to represent Group Health in front of 425 people from the worlds of policy, government, business, and health care who want to make a positive difference. What follows are some highlights from the conference. National thought leaders have a great interest in what Group Health does every day. Continue reading ‘Highlights from the Colorado Health Foundation Annual Symposium’
Quality. Ask a hundred people to define it, and you’ll get a hundred answers. In the last decade we’ve collected more performance data and industry rankings than ever to sharpen that fuzzy definition. Members, health coalitions, purchasers, consumer advocates and the media all rate Group Health’s quality in different ways.
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