Dec. 13, 2004

City of Seattle, REI join Puget Sound Health Partnership

The City of Seattle and Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) have joined Starbucks, Washington Mutual, King County, Group Health and the State of Washington as partners in the Puget Sound Health Partnership. This partnership, recommended by the King County Health Advisory Task Force, is committed to system-wide health care changes aimed at improving the quality of care and getting more control over escalating costs in the region.

Health insurance costs continue to increase at double digit rates that are far outstripping inflation. Nationally, as the cost of care increases, employers are faced with paying ever increasing premiums for the same or lower level of health coverage. The partnership will address better ways of providing and receiving quality health care.

The Health Advisory Task Force, convened by King County Executive Ron Sims, recommended that partnerships of all key parties in the region make changes to improve the quality and delivery of health care, as well as educate users of the system in how to get well and stay well. More information about the Health Advisory Task Force can be found online, at www.metrokc.gov/exec/hatf/ .

Because no one purchaser, plan, or provider group is capable, by itself, of creating the market impact necessary to decrease waste, improve the quality of care, and decrease the cost trends in the Puget Sound region, collective market power and clinical expertise is vital to this endeavor. Together, the current partners represent more than 288,000 insured lives in the four county Puget Sound region.

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels announced, “I am pleased the city will be a member of this important partnership. All sectors of the economy are struggling to address the escalating cost of health care and are concerned about the waste and inefficiencies of the system. I believe the partnership’s approach of bringing all constituencies to the table – purchasers, providers, consumers and health plans – holds great promise of making positive changes and moving the region forward.”

REI is an outdoor retail co-operative dedicated to inspiring, educating and outfitting its more than two million active members and the community for a lifetime of outdoor adventures. Founded in 1938, REI is an active supporter of the communities in which it does business.

“As one of Fortune Magazine’s 100 Best Employers, we want to support our employees with quality health care that meets their needs and that is smart for our business. A broad-based regional partnership to look at this crucial issue is a great step,” said REI Chief Operating Officer Sally Jewell. “We also believe that including prevention and health education in the scope of the partnership’s work is directly aligned to our goals as an outdoor company that supports healthy, active lifestyles.”

The Puget Sound Health Partnership will have the market influence, clinical expertise, and quality/cost performance measurement systems to align health care financing and delivery systems into a continuously improving high performance regional health care enterprise. The group’s goals are to: improve the quality of care; slow the rate of increase in health care expenditures in the Puget Sound region; improve the health outcomes for people; improve consumers’ and providers’ ability to become partners in managing health, and ensure collaborative decision-making based on evidence.