2018 Parker, Smith & Feek
Employee Benefits Seminar

At the Parker, Smith & Feek Benefits Seminar last month, we heard from Susie Dade, Deputy Director of the Washington Health Alliance, that we face a significant challenge with disparities in the quality and cost of healthcare in our state. This is why the Alliance exists and has made it their mission to help employers, providers, and patients make better decisions about healthcare leading to better care, improved health, and lower costs.

A number of you who attended the seminar asked for more information about the Alliance. Available on this page is a summary of “Why Membership in the Washington Health Alliance.” We encourage you, as a healthcare purchaser, to consider becoming a member of the Alliance and join them in their efforts to improve our healthcare system in Washington State. We feel that all sizes of employers need to have their voices heard on this critical subject, and the Alliance provides an invaluable forum for stakeholders to demand and create real change. In particular, they have a “Purchaser Affinity Group” that provides a forum specifically for purchasers of healthcare (employers and union trusts) to exchange information, learn, and move forward together.

Also available on this page is the Alliance report “First, Do No Harm,” which was released earlier this year. Perhaps in reading this report, you will see how the Alliance has identified the problem and offers a call to action. As stated in the report, “… [W]e simply cannot afford to continue on this path of overuse and waste. It is past time to take action and there are steps that we can take as a community to dramatically reduce utilization of health care services that the medical profession itself has called into question.”

For more information about becoming a member of the Washington Health Alliance, contact Susie Dade at 206-454-2956 or email her at sdade@wahealthalliance.org.

You can also contact us here at Parker, Smith & Feek if you want to discuss.

DOWNLOADS:

Why Membership in the Washington Health Alliance?

First, Do No Harm

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