Group Health Overview

Group Health provides medical coverage and care to more than 660,000 residents in Washington state and North Idaho who are covered by health plans offered by Group Health Cooperative or its subsidiaries, Group Health Options, Inc., and KPS Health Plans. Nearly two-thirds of members receive care in Group Health Medical Centers.

Also see: Fast Facts About Group Health

Group Health includes Group Health Cooperative (1947) and its research arm — the Group Health Research Institute (1983), Group Health Options, Inc. (1990), Group Health Foundation (1983), and Group Health Physicians (1997) — with whom Group Health Cooperative has an exclusive contract. These organizations and their staff members share a common purpose to transform health care, working together to improve the care and well-being of members, patients, and communities. In October 2005, Group Health Cooperative acquired KPS Health Plans, a health care service contractor in Northwest Washington.

Group Health Cooperative

Group Health Cooperative began in 1947 as a community coalition dedicated to making quality health care available and affordable. Today it is one of the few health care organizations in the country governed by consumers. Its 11-member Board of Trustees — all health-plan members elected by other members — work closely with management and medical staff to ensure that the organization's policies and direction put the needs of patients first.

Also see: History of the Cooperative

Group Health Cooperative, together with its subsidiary Group Health Options, Inc., operates in all or parts of 20 counties in Washington and two counties in North Idaho. In Washington, Group Health Cooperative offers coordinated-care plans for both groups and individuals; Clear Care®, our Medicare Advantage plans; and plans for residents who qualify for Healthy Options (Medicaid), Basic Health, and the State Children's Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP).

Care is provided by Group Health Physicians doctors and other clinicians at Group Health-operated medical facilities. In service areas where Group Health doesn't own facilities and for plans offering more choice, a network of nearly 9,000 community clinicians and 41 hospitals meets member health care needs.

Group Health Options, Inc.

Group Health Options, Inc., was incorporated in 1990 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Group Health Cooperative. It offers a variety of health plans in Washington and Idaho that provide choice and flexibility to meet the needs of large and small employers. These range from a defined physician-network plan to point-of-service plans in which members can get care from outside the network for higher out-of-pocket costs.

KPS Health Plans

Group Health Cooperative acquired KPS, a 62-year-old nonprofit health carrier based in Bremerton, Wash., in October 2005. KPS maintains a separate corporate identity.

Group Health Physicians

Physicians have played a key role in Group Health Cooperative’s history and continue to oversee every aspect of clinical care and quality. Their commitment to family medicine and prevention has shaped an approach to care at Group Health that focuses on the whole patient, not just on an illness or condition.

After more than 50 years as Group Health staff, our doctors formed Group Health Physicians (GHP; formerly Group Health Permanente), an independent professional corporation, in 1997. This multispecialty medical group — among the largest in the nation — is under exclusive contract to provide care at Group Health Medical Centers and as medical staff in major Washington state hospitals. GHP works in partnership with Group Health Cooperative management.

Group Health Research Institute

The Group Health Research Institute (GHRI) works to improve health and health care for everyone through leading-edge research, innovation, and dissemination. Funded primarily through government and private grants, the Institute is located in Seattle.

Since the Institute’s founding, researchers have published more than 2,200 scientific journal articles — many of these collaborations with researchers from the University of Washington, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and other institutions. The Institute’s research has helped Group Health become a national leader in areas such as health information technology, behavioral health, breast cancer screening, immunization, chronic disease management, and the medical home approach to primary care.

Group Health Foundation

Group Health Foundation supports Group Health in providing the best care for its members and creating better health in our communities. The Foundation uses grant making, school outreach, fundraising, and strategic partnerships to promote childhood immunizations and children’s access to health care, and to promote and test care innovations at Group Health Medical Centers.

Affiliates

Kaiser Permanente and Group Health affiliated in 1997. Each remains independent and separate, but work together in areas such as marketing to regional and national customers, sharing best clinical practices, and full-service member reciprocity.

In May 2011, Group Health Medical Centers became a network affiliate of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, a world-class cancer treatment center.