SEATTLE – Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt launched Wednesday another part of the Bush administration’s value-driven healthcare plan to expand transparency in cost and quality of care to consumers on a local basis.

At a meeting of Pacific Northwest business and healthcare leaders, Leavitt announced that the non-profit Puget Sound Health Alliance will be the first in a national network of local organizations that will have access to Medicare data for reporting care and cost outcomes to the public.

Puget Sound Health Alliance’s designation as a community leader is the first step toward gaining access to Medicare data for public comparison of healthcare providers, according to Diane Giese, spokesperson for the Health Alliance.

The Health Alliance intends to use the Medicare data to expand “a large quantity of data” it has already gathered from health insurers and self-insured employers in the region, Giese said. It plans on releasing a composite report of healthcare outcomes to the public some time this year.

Leavitt lauded the efforts of the Puget Sound Health Alliance, whose nearly 130 participants have agreed to identify and measure quality healthcare, then produce publicly available comparison reports designed for use in healthcare decision-making.

“All health care is local, and we need cooperative local action just as we need common national goals,” Leavitt said. “The Puget Sound Health Alliance has demonstrated outstanding leadership, and I’m proud to recognize this organization as a pioneer organization in the nationwide network that we are building. Our aim together is nothing less than value-driven healthcare based on quality improvement, cost awareness and collaborative action.”

In conjunction with the HHS announcement, Washington Governor Christine Gregoire said she will call for $2 million in state funding to help the Health Alliance expand its public reporting and other quality improvement work statewide.