The first week of April marks public health week. This year’s theme is For science. For action. For health. Most of us who work in the health care field deal with clinical care – those important interactions that help each of us remain healthy and deal with problems when they come up. Public health focuses…

When I talk with my doctors about my health and especially about my daughter’s health, I want and expect them to be respectful, base what they say in available evidence, and to help me understand the pros and cons of any decisions. Lucky for us we live in Washington State where our Health Care Authority…

Read our Recommendation Summary People who have chronic pain often experience frustrating, disjointed care. This can be hard for clinicians too because of barriers in referring to other types of providers and lack of support within an organization. For the past year, our workgroup has looked at the different ways that chronic pain is treated…

For the past year, our Accountable Payment Models workgroup has been reviewing evidence, hearing from community members, and revising our Lumbar Fusion Bundled Payment Model and Warranty. At our recent Bree Collaborative January meeting, members voted to adopt the bundle and warranty. Our goal in this revision was to respond to changes in the evidence…

The final comic strip of Calvin and Hobbes speaks to the understated genius of author Bill Watterson. Calvin and the tiger Hobbes are walking in a waist-deep field of snow discussing how “the world looks brand new…like having a big sheet of white paper to draw on.” Calvin turns to Hobbes and says “It’s a…

Our average life expectancy in America has declined again, as it has done for the past few years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released data showing that this trend is largely driven by increases in deaths by suicide and drug overdose. These two areas have been key parts of our work over…

Being born in the United States is risky – for both mom and baby. More than 50,000 mothers have life-threatening complications every year. Birth outcomes for both mom and baby depend on where you live but also on race. It should not be the case that black mothers are three to four times more likely…

Suicide rates have increased in almost all 50 states and in all regions of Washington State. The health care community in Washington State has been concerned about the too-high suicide rates for years. Suicide is a preventable outcome, and our community is working to address this public health imperative through our Suicide Care workgroup. The…