Grant: $65M to improve health care in state

OLYMPIA — The federal government has given Washington state $65 million for health care innovation.

The money will be used for three initiatives. First, the Washington State Health Care Authority is experimenting with how the state pays for health care services by making treatment outcomes part of the equation.

Second, the state is trying to better integrate physical and mental health services.

And third, the grant will support a new effort to create caring communities. Health officials in 10 different regions of the state are sitting down with social workers, religious groups, insurance companies and others and talk about how they can better meet the health needs in their community.

The chief policy officer of the Health Care Authority says the grant money will allow the state to try new things and to duplicate ideas that have already been proven successful in one part of the state.