Group Health Cooperative, more commonly known as Group Health, is a Seattle, Washington based nonprofit healthcare organization.[1] Established in 1947, it today provides coverage and care for about 700,000 people in Washington and Idaho and is one of the largest private employers in Washington. Patients who receive care at its medical centers are provided Web access to their medical records, secure emailing with doctors and nurses and the ability to fill prescriptions online that are mailed to homes without a shipping charge.
Contents |
Group Health was officially registered as a corporation in Washington on 22 December 1945.[2]
Despite being marketed as a cooperative for much of the organization's history, Group Health has never legally presented itself as a cooperative. It is a nonprofit organization with members. Members have always been able to amend bylaws and elect a board of trustees, but have never owned organization assets or directly controlled operations.[3]:14
Group Health's founders included Thomas G. Bevan, then president of lodge 751 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers at Boeing; Ella Willams, a leader in a local chapter of The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry; Addison Shoudy, R.M Mitchell, and Stanley Erickson, who were pioneers in the American cooperative movement; and other community members who had no strong past affiliation with any particular social group.[3]:14
Its research leg, the Group Health Research Institute, formerly known as Group Health Center for Health Studies, works with institutions such as the University of Washington and the National Institutes of Health. For example, in January 2006, the Center released the results of a study that concluded that regular exercise is associated with a delay in the onset of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Group Health Cooperative Medical Library was founded in 1969. As of 2011 it subscribed to 8000 electronic journals and had 400 books. It specializes in allied health professions, medicine, health maintenance organizations, health administration, nursing, and pharmacy.[4]
Group Health is also a leader in providing coordinated and preventive care, including using health information technology and teamwork to support a personal relationship between a doctor and a patient.
Scott Armstrong became president and CEO of Group Health in 2005. He is a commissioner of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, board chair of the Alliance of Community Health Plans, a board member of America's Health Insurance Plans and the Pacific Science Center, a member of the Community Development Roundtable in Seattle and a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. He was named among the top 40 of the "100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare" in 2010 by Modern Healthcare magazine.