Author Archive for Scott Armstrong

Group Health signs on to support gay marriage bill

By Scott Armstrong

Group Health has joined other local Northwest companies in signing a letter to legislative leaders and Gov. Chris Gregoire in supporting gay marriage legislation (SB 6239) that will be debated during the current legislative session. Other organizations that signed the letter included Vulcan, Nike, RealNetworks, Concur, and Microsoft.

I believe the support for committed couples is part of respecting our staff and our patients. Respect for all people is a core value of Group Health. Inclusion and equality help build a workforce that reflects and can support the diverse needs of the patients we serve.

“We support our people, both our staff and our patients, and we also support human rights as guaranteed to all citizens of this country,” said Michael Soman, MD, Chief Medical Executive Officer, and President of Group Health Physicians. “Close collaboration and respect, with our colleagues and our patients, are critical to creating better health for individuals and communities.”

Group Health’s position builds on its history of supporting corporate and public policies that promote inclusion and equality. Group Health was recently recognized in the Healthcare Equality Index for its leadership in meeting high-quality standards in serving the LGBT community in its 25 statewide medical centers. The standards include some basic services such as visitation rights and patient non-discrimination policies

Published on January 19, 2012 in Health Care Reform. 16 Comments

King County has the data that shows the way

By Scott Armstrong

King County made the recent stunning announcement that it will save $60 million in health care costs in the next two years over earlier projections. The single biggest reason for the savings? Healthier employees.

With seven years of health care cost data to support the report, King County Executive Dow Constantine delivered a treasure trove of information that provides insight into best practices for managing healthcare costs across an organization. The data shows encouraging trends for King County and points at what may be possible nationally to make health care reform work.  Continue reading ‘King County has the data that shows the way’

Published on October 3, 2011 in health care costs and Health Care Reform. 0 Comments Tags: .

The Board of Trustees affects your life as a member and an employee

By Scott Armstrong

A message from Group Health President and CEO Scott Armstrong to members and staff:

In the last few years, Group Health has gotten a lot of attention for our cooperative roots. While some of that attention was misinformed by heated political debates, market research reveals that our consumer-governed structure gives us great credibility and differentiates us from our competitors. A growing number of people think co-ops are “cool.”  Continue reading ‘The Board of Trustees affects your life as a member and an employee’

Published on July 29, 2011 in Health Care Reform. 0 Comments

Innovation needs collaboration

By Scott Armstrong

Passage of the health care reform law last year was a major wake-up call for health systems across the country. At Group Health, we were already wide awake, but its passage into law made it even clearer how large the stakes are.

As you know, we’ve been pushing hard for several years to reduce our medical expenses through innovations that inspire better health for our patients—with remarkable results: Our overall medical cost trends are lower than they’ve ever been. Our quality and patient satisfaction scores are on the rise. Our staff engagement scores have hit an all-time high. And our progress has given us unprecedented attention, around the region and across the country. We have a lot to be proud of. Continue reading ‘Innovation needs collaboration’

Published on May 6, 2011 in Health Care Innovations and Health Care Reform. 0 Comments

Quality Lessons

By Scott Armstrong

Heated discussions rage over rising costs and the lack of access to affordable care. Medical professionals argue about whether we should pay for prevention or just procedures. Accusations fly about how changes to the way medical care is delivered could lead to socialism.

While it may sound a lot like the great American health care debates of the last few years, what I’m actually referring to is the turbulent time in 1946 when Group Health, the Seattle-based health care cooperative that I lead, was created. Continue reading ‘Quality Lessons’

Published on November 15, 2010 in Health Care Reform, Preventive Care and Quality Health Care. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .

Continuous improvement through Lean management

By Scott Armstrong

King County Executive Dow Constantine asked me to describe the management transformation effort that Group Health has been undergoing the past several years at a meeting of county managers this week. Here is some of what I shared. 

One way in which our organizations are alike is that we attract and retain people who are deeply committed to the service we provide people in the communities around us.

For Group Health—and I might add for the nation as well—higher quality health care is the most effective and sustainable way to lower costs.  Continue reading ‘Continuous improvement through Lean management’

Published on October 27, 2010 in Health Care Reform. 3 Comments

Vote to elect the Board of my health plan. Why would I care?

By Scott Armstrong

That’s a very reasonable question in today’s complex world where most people find their health plan almost as distant as their cable TV company. But, for more than 60 years, Group Health Cooperative has been proving that there’s a better way of doing business.

This Saturday, Oct. 23, Group Health will once again celebrate its commitment to consumer governance at the Lynnwood Convention Center. This is where members of the Board of Trustees will be elected, and I will give a formal report to the membership and answer questions from the audience. Continue reading ‘Vote to elect the Board of my health plan. Why would I care?’

Published on October 20, 2010 in Health Care Reform. 2 Comments Tags: , , .

Group Health to lead state health care reform pilots

By Scott Armstrong

The Washington State Health Care Authority has chosen Group Health Cooperative to lead pilot projects to improve health care quality for Washingtonians. Group Health will lead an effort to bring a variety of health care providers from primary care doctors and physical therapists to surgeons and hospitals into an organized group that is collectively responsible for the health of each patient. This model of integrated care is one that has guided Group Health since its founding in 1947. Continue reading ‘Group Health to lead state health care reform pilots’

Published on September 2, 2010 in Accountable Care Organization and Health Care Reform. 1 Comment Tags: , .

Quality of our patients' experiences should be the focus of reform

By Scott Armstrong

As you’ve probably noticed, the debates that led to federal health reform are far less public, and the work to implement change is in high gear. 

Most attention is on near-term changes to health insurance—with work being done to extend the age that adult children are covered under their parent’s health plan, end coverage denials for children with pre-existing conditions, and eliminate cost sharing for preventive care.

While these are important improvements, very little is focused yet on how health care services are provided. As we at Group Health already know, that’s where the most important changes will need to take place.

Continue reading ‘Quality of our patients' experiences should be the focus of reform’

Published on June 10, 2010 in Accountable Care Organization and Health Care Reform. 1 Comment Tags: .

MedPAC Appointment Announced

By Scott Armstrong

I’m delighted to share news that I’ve been appointed to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), joining a distinguished and diverse panel of 17 executives and professionals with proven expertise in health care delivery and finance. My three-year term begins in September, and I’m already eager to get started.

MedPAC was established in 1997 to analyze access to care, cost and quality of care, and other key issues affecting Medicare and then advise Congress on payments to health plans participating in the Medicare Advantage program and providers in Medicare’s traditional fee-for-service programs. Continue reading ‘MedPAC Appointment Announced’

Published on May 19, 2010 in Health Care Reform and Medicare. 0 Comments Tags: .