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Puget Sound Health Alliance inaugural board of directors convened yesterday

The Puget Sound Health Alliance, a new regional organization committed to improving the quality of health care and holding down its costs in the Puget Sound area, held its inaugural board of directors meeting yesterday. The Alliance Board of Directors represent public and private high-level regional leaders from employer, health care professional and health plan Alliance participating organizations.

Alliance Board members voted the following slate of officers to serve two year terms: Chair - Ron Sims, Executive of King County; Vice Chair - Hugh Straley, MD, Medical Director of Group Health Cooperative; Secretary – Lloyd David, CEO/Executive Director of The Polyclinic; and Treasurer – Michael Cochran, Manager of Health and Wellness Benefits and First Vice President, Washington Mutual.

“We have started a journey that will change health care for the better,” said Executive Sims. “I am proud and honored to be the chair of this truly collaborative regional system that will harness the collective strength and knowledge of the region and its employers to improve the quality, delivery and cost of health care.”

“I believe that the Alliance can become a national model for quality and cost reduction for patient centered care,” said Dr. Straley. “Our collaborative community is well positioned to embark on this journey and to achieve unprecedented outcomes.”

”The health care provider community is excited to have the opportunity to work collaboratively with employers, health plans, and consumers to improve the health of our community and the quality of our health care system,” said Mr. David.

“Employers understand that the transformation of the health care delivery system requires partnering and collaboration with the health care community,” said Mr. Cochran. “The passion and commitment of participating organizations will provide momentum and success for the Alliance.”

To date, over 40 organizations (see attachment for list of participating organizations) throughout King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties belong to the Alliance. Participating organizations now represent over 725,000 individuals with health insurance in the four county region.

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; and improve consumers’ and health care professionals’ ability to collaboratively make decisions and manage patients’ health using evidence based medicine.

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 the quality, delivery and cost of health care.

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

This release is also posted the King County Web site, at http://www.metrokc.gov.