Group Health and Health Care Reform

At Group Health, our members are already experiencing the kind of next-generation care that national, state, and local administrations would like to see available to more people in the country. Practices such as electronic medical records, the medical home, patient-centered care, comparative effectiveness, and shared decision-making are already at work, creating the exceptional care experience our members value.

Learn more about how Group Health is modeling best practices and helping to guide the conversation about health care reform

Reinventing Primary Care

Accumulating evidence throughout the world shows that primary care based systems like we have at Group Health consistently have better medical outcomes at lower cost. We are making our system even stronger by adopting principles of the medical home.

Health Information Technology

President Barack Obama and others have cited electronic medical records (EMR) as a practice that can reduce health care costs and improve care. Group Health recognized this nearly 10 years ago and now has one of the most fully developed clinical information systems in the country.

Shared Decision Making

Research shows that, in general, people who share in their own health care decisions with their doctors are happier with the care they receive and the results they achieve. This is especially true for health conditions that are tied to treatments that offer similar outcomes.

Comparative Effectiveness

Comparative effectiveness studies look at how well tests, treatments, and preventive actions work in real clinical settings. The federal government is calling for comparative effectiveness research as a way to base medicine — and health care reform — on the best evidence to ensure that people receive the most effective health care available.