Three new members join Puget Sound Health Alliance

April 5, 2005

Three new members join Puget Sound Health Alliance

Washington State Hospital Association, Free Standing Ambulatory Surgery Center Association of Washington State and Uniprise join

The Puget Sound Health Alliance today announced that three new members have joined the organization committed to improving the quality of health care and holding down costs in the Puget Sound area. Joining today are the Washington State Hospital Association, the Free Standing Ambulatory Surgery Center Association of Washington State (FSASCAWS) and Uniprise, a UnitedHealth Group Company.

The 36 members of the Alliance represent public and private employers, health care professionals and health plans, and more than 330,000 of covered lives in the Alliance.

The Puget Sound Health Alliance (PSHA), initiated by King County Executive Ron Sims, includes members from the region's public and private sectors and range in size from some of the largest corporations and governments to small businesses. The members will work to increase the quality of care delivered throughout King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties.

"The Washington State Hospital Association is excited about the emphasis on evidence-based medicine and the promise of the entire community coming together to tackle one of our most perplexing issues - how to deliver high quality health care at a price our community can afford," said Leo Greenawalt, WSHA president and CEO.

The Free Standing Ambulatory Surgery Center Association of Washington President Scott Faringer, added, "We represent the ambulatory surgery centers in the state of Washington. When we heard about the Health Alliance's interest in making health care better, we decided we wanted to be associated with the program. We are all for bringing down the cost of health care and increasing the efficiency."

"Uniprise, the UnitedHealth Group business dedicated to the unique needs of large, national employers, is delighted to join the Puget Sound Health Alliance. UnitedHealth Group intends to be a leader in achieving broad consensus on health care provider performance measures, developing methods of health care data aggregation, and supporting a uniform reporting method," said Miles Snowden, Senior Vice President, Care Solutions. "We recognize the importance of assuring that shared, public data is accurate, uniform, and meaningful for the health care consumers in every community we serve. Participation in the Puget Sound Health Alliance is fully consistent with our goal, and we are pleased to support and participate in this important initiative."

Alliance participants agree to measure and share health care quality data, which will be housed in an information repository containing clinical care treatment guidelines and tools for all members to use. The information sharing will allow members to gain powerful insights into those areas that show scope for improved quality and value. For a complete list of Alliance members, please go to the Alliance's Web site, at www.govlink.org/psha.

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