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	Feb. 19, 2004 Health task force commends county efforts; Outlines next steps for region to address health care Puget Sound area physicians, health care experts and benefits administrators today validated the approach King County Executive Ron Sims and the county are taking to address health care for employees, while calling for next steps the region must take to make quality, affordable and available health care a reality. “King County is facing an urgent need to effectively contain the rise in employee health care costs,” said Sims. “National health care costs are expected to increase at 15 percent or more per year for at least five more years. For King County, that is an increase in spending from $124 million per year on employee health benefits in 2003 to $249 million in 2008,” said Sims. “We are seeking ways to have a lasting effect on the underlying cost trends in health care, not simply shift costs to employees,” Sims added. “This will ensure patients the right care at the right time.” That is why Sims created a task force in December to review what the county is planning to do to address future costs. The Executive said the panel validated and endorsed the county plan by stating that the county had identified the most realistic, attainable elements to achieve quality of care and cost containment. The members acknowledged that the county was indeed radically rethinking existing approaches to employee health and health care benefits, noting the plans for: Engaging employees in understanding and managing the health care crisis; Developing and implementing disease management and wellness programs; Exploring plan design elements that support employee decision making around health and quality health care; and Influencing the health care market to improve the availability of effective evidence based medical care. In addition to the county’s existing strategy, the task force also recommended that the county analyze cost and quality impacts of shared health care cost; that employees learn about, understand and get engaged in managing their own wellness and disease management and that any benefits program encourage employees to make knowledgeable choices about providers, their own health care, wellness, prevention and management of chronic health care conditions. While the task force validated what the county is doing, the 20-member Health Advisory Task force also acknowledged in a report to the King County Council today that the issue “is larger than just King County’s system. It is a regional, state and national crisis.” Sims said task force members recommended looking beyond King County’s plan to the entire Puget Sound market to really make a difference long term in improving the quality of care and moderating costs for all residents of the Puget Sound region. “Changes cannot be made only for King County employees for the improvements to be successful,” said Dr. Edward Wagner, national expert on chronic disease management. Wagner is serving as task force co-chair and is the director of the MacColl Institute for Healthcare Innovations. “The entire health care spectrum must undergo similar changes and measures to ensure quality before health care cost containment in the region can become a reality, including performance measures for providers, procedures and prescription drugs,” Wagner added. Sims has directed the task force, in its next phase, to examine steps on how best to improve the quality, access and value of health care in the entire Puget Sound regional market, said Wagner. The work will focus on strategies aimed at: Ensuring King County and other employees in the region get high quality, patient centered health care services; Offsetting the increases in personal costs for health care benefits with strategies that reduce the increase in total health care costs; Involving employees in managing their own health care to act as partners with providers in making evidenced based health care decisions; and Developing a system in which health plans, providers and employees use shared health information to ensure the most effective use of each dollar spent on health care by monitoring costs, change in health risk factors, changes in patent behavior and in provider practices. Sims said task force members’ next phase of study will involve recommendations that: Create a standard of health care cost and measurement standards region wide; Monitor performance information for all levels of care (health plans, hospitals, medical groups, and individual physicians); Encourage providers to participate in plans that are high quality, cost effective care; Promote consumer understanding and use of health care measurements and quality standards; and Reinforce and reward provider and patient focus on wellness, disease management and active participation in health care decisions. Sims said the Health Advisory Task Force is scheduled to meet monthly through May and expects to issue a report to him regarding the second phase of their study in June 2004. Related information: Health Advisory Task Force Web site King County Health Advisory Initial Findings Report (112K .doc) Updated: Feb. 19, 2004 Executive's home Executive's news Executive's site map | E-mail the Executive King County | Executive | News | Services | Comments | Search Links to external sites do not constitute endorsements by King County. By visiting this and other King County web pages, you expressly agree to be bound by terms and conditions of the site. The details.