Health Care Quality

Ongoing Office of Financial Management and national research into geographic variation in the use and distribution of medical resources; and key public-private initiatives targeting health care quality improvement in Washington State.

• Variation Research Summary - key characteristics of the three main bodies of Washington variation research.

Geographic Variation in use and Distribution of Medical Resources

• Washington Inpatient Atlas Project (WIAP) - describes geographic and historical variation in practice patterns in our state.
Presentation to the House Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee (pdf) - (February 17, 2009)
• Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care - comprehensive information and analysis about national, regional, and local markets, as well as individual hospitals and their affiliated physicians through which glaring variations in how health care is delivered across the United States are apparent.

Public-Private Quality Improvement Initiatives

• Puget Sound Health Alliance (PSHA) - a regional partnership involving employers, physicians, hospitals, patients, health plans, and others working together to improve quality and efficiency while reducing the rate of health care cost increases across King, Kitsap, Pierce, Snohomish, and Thurston Counties.

Last modified: April 22, 2009
E-mail: OFM.Forecasting@ofm.wa.gov