Comparison Reports

Guidelines and Recommendations

Collaboration

Regional Reports on Quality, Cost and Value

Since January 2008, the Alliance has produced the "Community Checkup" report to the public, comparing health care provided in clinics and hospitals in the region, and products and services offered by health plans.This report helps improve decision-making for doctors, hospitals, patients, employers, health plans and others. The report also helps align incentives to improve quality and increase health care value. To see the Community Checkup report, go to www.wacommunitycheckup.org.

Clinical Guidelines for Physicians, Hospitals and Other Health Care Professionals
The Alliance identifies and promotes standard, evidence-based clinical guidelines and tools for use by physicians, hospitals, employers, health plans and other health care professionals in the region. These clinical guidelines are reviewed and recommended by local teams of expert clinicians, building on existing evidence-based quality guidelines and protocols.

Tools for Consumers and Patients
The Alliance identifies, compiles and develops (as needed) evidence-based tools for use by patients, employees and other consumers to help with health care decision-making, including managing personal health. In addition, doctors and other health care professionals will be able to give patients these state-of-the-art, evidence-based self-management and health education informational tools to encourage everyone to become better consumers of health care.

Data Sharing
The Alliance has developed the ability for specified data to be securely stored, retrieved, and analyzed for quality and cost performance and improvement in the region. The intent is for all health plans and health care professionals to eventually contribute medical record and claims data to this shared data repository. Over time the region will have an interoperable clinical data exchange system to support the database. To facilitate the collection of clinical data useful for local and regional measurement and quality improvement, the Alliance encourages the development of patient registries and electronic medical records.

Regional Infrastructure to Support Sustained Quality Improvement
The Alliance works on creating a regional infrastructure to support quality improvement in health care. In addition to guidelines, measures, public reports, and tools useful for improving health care decision-making, the Alliance encourages educational sessions and other collaborative work for health care professionals to learn evidence-based practices and hone skills in using the associated tools.