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Thursday, January 12

The Seattle Times: Health: New Puget Sound group aims to tame health-care ills

The Seattle Times: Health: New Puget Sound group aims to tame health-care ills

But the alliance appears to have found common ground on at least one issue: coming up with standard treatments for common, chronic conditions. That means agreeing on what drugs and approaches constitute the best way to treat maladies such as heart disease or diabetes and then paying more to providers who follow the guidelines.

Businesses, including Starbucks and Washington Mutual, insurers such as Regence BlueShield, and providers such as Group Health Cooperative and Virginia Mason Medical Center have joined the alliance, as have the city of Seattle and state of Washington.

"If you pay for better outcomes, you reduce costs overall," said Hugh Straley, medical director of Group Health. "Research shows how collaborative efforts improve quality and reduce costs."

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