Our Commitment to Quality

Patient care is the heart of Group Health. We are committed to providing our members with high quality, safe care that is easy to access and affordable.

We are proud of our national reputation as a pioneer in evidence-based medicine, using information technology to improve care, applying research to clinical practice, and defining the ideal model for delivering care for patients with chronic diseases.

Also see: Quality and Patient Safety

Our focus on quality has paid off with national and state recognition of our expertise and our quality of care and service:

Top rating for care equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender patients in the Healthcare Equality Index 2011. READ MORE

Many of our Group Health doctors are named "top docs" in Seattle, Bellevue and Spokane magazine surveys. READ MORE

Our commercial plan has been ranked 56th in the nation by NCQA in 2011. READ MORE

14th-ranked Medicare plan in the country by NCQA in 2011. READ MORE

Top rating in 12 out of 19 quality measures in the Puget Sound Health Alliance "Community Checkup," more top ratings than any of the other 80 medical groups in the Puget Sound region. READ MORE

Highest ranked for health plan quality and prescription drug plan quality by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Plan Comparisons.

Highest recognition status for Group Health Medical Centers clinics by NCQA in 2010 for the role clinicians play in advancing quality.

Our Vision for Quality

Our vision for quality is to continuously work toward a future where our members consistently say that Group Health provides:

• The best care, information, expert advice, and support
• Outstanding service every time
• Value that exceeds needs and expectations

We believe that we are uniquely positioned to achieve this vision thanks to the excellence of our providers, our focus on the individual patient's needs, our ability to efficiently and effectively organize care around patient populations, and our use of technology to support personalized care.

Transforming Health Care for the Future

Group Health's purpose is to transform health care, working everyday to improve the care and well-being of our consumers and communities.

We have come a long way in the 60-plus years since Group Health was founded as one of the first and most enduring consumer-governed nonprofit health care organizations in the country, with a vision and mission "to serve the greatest number" and "transform health care." More than ever since our beginnings in 1947, we are positioned to make a difference, not just to our members and patients, but also to our communities and as a health care model for the nation.

In our nationally acclaimed model, care and coverage work together as a cohesive force and form a foundation focused on serving the interests of our members, who also govern our non-profit organization. We believe that our approach leads to better health and more personalized care.

Our doctors, who form one of the state's largest medical groups, spend less time with paperwork and more time with patients. They also have more time to consult in teams, which produces a collaborative environment that attracts some of the most talented and dedicated doctors in the nation.

The Group Health Research Institute continues to conduct groundbreaking research within the patient population at our clincal facilities yielding valuable findings that further improve care practices for our members and patients. And these findings are shared widely in the health care field so that all patients can benefit from improved care.

Our Group Health Foundation continues to support and fund health care programs and initiatives in the community such as School-Based Health Centers, the Children's Access to Care Initiative, and abused women and children programs, to name a few.

Yes, we have come a long way in 60 years and we will continue our "journey to excellence" by continuing to strive for ever better excellence in clinical care, prevention, customer service, and affordability.