Group Health Medical Centers
Rated in 2009 'Community Checkup'
Group Health Cooperative medical centers received "above regional average" scores in 11 out of 15 quality measures in the 2009 Puget Sound Health Alliance Community Checkup.
Group Health received more "above regional average" ratings than any of the other nine medical groups in the Puget Sound region that were rated on all 15 measures in the July report. Group Health received no "below regional average" scores.
The Puget Sound Health Alliance is a non-profit, non-partisan regional collaborative working to improve health care quality and affordability. The Community Checkup compares care in doctors' offices and hospitals, highlighting where performance is high or improvement is needed. The report measures care in the use of antibiotics and imaging, asthma, depression, diabetes, heart disease, prevention, and generic drugs.
"We support the work of the Puget Sound Health Alliance to provide transparency for quality of care in this region," said Michael Soman, chief medical executive for Group Health Medical Centers. "We are pleased to be one of the leaders in innovative approaches to care, but recognize that we all have work to do. We take seriously, and are excited about, the opportunities we have to improve."
The report shows wide variation in the care that patients receive. "Too many patients still don't get effective health care recommended by national medical guidelines, said David Fleming, M.D., chair of the Alliance board and director of public health for Seattle and King County. "The good news is that by using insights from the Community Checkup report, then making changes to improve the results, we can reduce the personal and financial cost of chronic disease and preventable health conditions."
Compare Medical Groups
The Community Checkup is a free online resource for Puget Sound residents to compare health care provided at medical groups, doctors' offices and hospitals in the region to see if care meets accepted medical standards. Topics include preventive care, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, and depression.
Use the Community Checkup to search, sort and compare health care in 76 medical groups, 240 clinics and 30 hospitals in King, Pierce, Snohomish, Thurston, and Kitsap counties.
How Group Health Stacks Up
See how our health care compares to other medical groups for the following medical conditions:
