Feb. 16, 2005

The Everett Clinic, City of Everett and Washington State Pharmacy Association join Puget Sound Health Alliance

Three new members today joined the Puget Sound Health Alliance, a new group committed to improving the quality, efficiency, and costs of health-care delivery in the Puget Sound area. They include The Everett Clinic, the City of Everett and the Washington State Pharmacy Association. This brings to 330,000 the number of insured individuals now represented by the Alliance, formed in December 2004.

The PSHA, initiated by King County Executive Ron Sims, includes members from the region’s public and private sectors –- ranging in size from some of the largest corporations, medical groups, and governments to small businesses and provider practices. They will work together to increase the quality of health care delivered throughout King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties.

The Alliance is the outgrowth of Sims’ Health Advisory Task Force, which last year recommended a collaborative regional system be established to harness the collective strength and knowledge of the region and its employers to improve quality of health care and hold down its costs.

"We are pleased to join the Alliance and share the vital commitment to promote exceptional quality, efficiency and cost effectiveness in healthcare," said Richard H. Cooper, Chief Executive Officer of The Everett Clinic. "At The Everett Clinic, we firmly believe on-going dialogue and open communication will foster solutions to current health care challenges. Our overriding goal is to do what is right for patients."

The Everett Clinic is a large, 200-physician, multi-specialty group practice serving Snohomish County. It provides health insurance to approximately 2,078 people including employees, physicians, spouses, and dependents.

"The City of Everett is committed to pursuing opportunities to improve our employees' access to high-quality, affordable health care," Mayor Ray Stephanson said. "Our membership in the Puget Sound Health Alliance is another step in that direction."

The Washington State Pharmacy Association represents over 12,000 pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmaceutical scientists and student pharmacists from the University of Washington and Washington State University.

"The WSPA is looking forward to continuing the work we did with the King County Health Task Force now that it has evolved into the Puget Sound Health Alliance,” said Ron Shafter, CEO of the Washington State Pharmacy Association. "We firmly believe that significant health care solutions will only be achieved through collaborative efforts with patients, providers and payers to improve the quality of health care within reasonable cost parameters."

In addition to the new members announced today, Puget Sound Alliance participants include King County, Starbucks, Washington Mutual, State of Washington, Group Health Cooperative, City of Seattle, Puget Sound Energy, Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI), Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle Surgery Center, Regence BlueShield, Community Health Plan of Washington, Hope Heart Institute, The Polyclinic, Port Blakely Companies, Pierce County, Qualis Health, the Foundation for Health Care Quality, Pacific Medical Centers, Dr. Peter Dunbar and the King County Medical Society.

The organization'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 health care professionals' ability to become partners in managing health; and ensure collaborative decision-making based on evidence.

Please contact Rachel Quinn, 206-296-4165, for more information about the Puget Sound Health Alliance.ne