Group Health Cooperative (puget Sound) Reviews

Pros

Great benefits
Mostly great people
Working for an organization that is trying to improve healthcare feels good
My managers were very supportive of work/life balance

Cons

I was over qualified and so my job at least was boring and despite great annual reviews I was not promoted within two years so there is some sluggishness within the system that others have noticed too
There was a constant fear of layoffs that were not adequately mitigated by managment

Pros

Interesting place to work. You can see that there is merit to the concept, but tremendous flaws in the execution.

Cons

Inability of the organization to make the difficult decisions that will move it forward. Inability to do anytthing without a full on committee being assembled to 'look into things.' No accountablity at the senior levels. Board of Trustees are not independent nor do they demand performance or accountability.

Advice to Senior Management

Do we really need weekly 4 hour meetings to figure out what to do? Maybe set the direction and let people execute. Hire people who can do it, rather than those who talk about doing it.

Pros

Benefits are great
Salary is good
Work / Home ratio is good

Cons

No advancement unless you know the right people, brown nose a lot or have a medical degree
Lack of respect for employees

Advice to Senior Management

Get rid of many of your 25+ year managers who do not fit in with modern day management ideals, break up the cliques and watch your revenues go up along with employee satisfaction.

Pros

Clinic hours of Monday thru Friday
Insurance is not costly, but you get in quality what you pay for
Primary Care Physician structure is a good concept
Hiring a more diverse workforce, however, no internal training for a diverse workforce or how to deal with a diverse patient base.

Cons

Dated equipment
High potential for layoffs due to financial standing.
New equipment is not always tested by national guidelines
Since clinics are not part of Joint Commission they fall under the radar for standard processes
Not all patient records or studies scanned into electronic system.
Patient care in wealthier areas is better than low income areas
Union and administration in frequent conflict which affects patient care, this resulted in nonunion staff organizing last year
Some areas lack standard process meeting national guidelines
Prefer a younger workforce. Frequent comments---someone is too old, too young, too new.
Can take up to 3 to 4 weeks for an appointment, an acceptable standard

Advice to Senior Management

It is less costly to reduce the hours of employees and retain services internally, than to form costly partnerships. In some cases it costing 3 times the internal cost. In time it will force you to reduce outside diagnostic testing which affect patient care, but does create profits.

Less costly to rent space within hospitals, than to build clinics. Brick and motor is expensive.

Hard to believe clinics are being closed or reduced services to low income communities in order to build clinics in higher wealth communities while having poor financial ratings.

Senior management should consider giving up their bonuses if the company has a poor financial standing.

There is no one on GHC Board who has a financial background.

Pros

1. The number one benefit is that they are a very stable company to work for, there is a lot of job stability, for the most part. Within my department, we have been expanding and have been getting more hours, and have hired more people.
2. Medical/Dental/Retirement: For medical insurance premiums, its the best bang for the buck. I get full coverage and only pay $30/month. I also get a Defined Contribution retirement account where Group Health puts 6% of their money into my retirement account each paycheck.
3. The pay is not that bad for being a cook. I also get 2 raises annually as agreed by the contract that GH has with the union.

Cons

1. As a cook, there's no room for growth. I need more intellectual stimulation! I'm bored.
2. My two supervisors treat us in a derogatory manner, and don't always follow proper conduct per union contract in regards to proper pay for our work. IE: Added responsibilities to our job description, giving us the responsibility to work two jobs within one shift. They also micro-manage a lot of things we do.

Advice to Senior Management

1. Be more respectful of the employees
2. Treat them fairly
3. Pay them what we are worth.

Pros

I like the mission of this organization. I've had to get used to the fact that this is not a software-centric company and developing and maintaining a web site is not a core competency. Software is not our mission, but it is key to our mission and management is going through a slow and sometimes painful process of learning how to manage that in conjunction with our more traditional IT structure. But they mean well and have been smart in reaching outside to good consultants who have the needed core competency to help us do the right things. I am treated fairly and my contribution is recognized. In the aggregate, this is a good place to work.

Cons

There are frustrations working in a place not centered around software development. But I understand why things are the way they are and it's worth it to me to be part of making it better.

Advice to Senior Management

Decentralize IT. Measure results more and the steps along the way less. Don't standardize what doesn't need to be standardized.

Pros

My manager(s) are very considerate with making schedules flexible and having a very good work / life balance. Pay is pretty good, not great but good, for this level of work / responsiblity. Medical / Dental coverage is priced pretty well. Good transportation reimbursement and telecommuting options.

Cons

Folks in this area of the company have self-inflated opinions of themselves and are not friendly; tend to look down on the support folks that make everything work. 401(k) match is anemic; however, they do have a pension plan that vests in 3 years. Other benefits are average.

Pros

A great part of working in healthcare is helping others by provding quality care and service to the community. The driving goal is not to make a profit, it's to serve our patients in the best way possible.

Cons

- The healthcare business requires a great deal of committment to be successful. You need to be prepared to give a lot of yourself to your role.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep up the great work. The company has made a lot of significant, positive changes in the last 10-15 years that have really made a difference.

Pros

-Pay is good.
-Benefits are well above average.
-Easy work.
-2 1/2 weeks of vacation a year (Good by U.S. standards)
-Set hours

Cons

-Middle management is ineffectual at best; passive-aggressive and vindictive at worst.
-Upper management is at a complete disconnect from the lower-levels.
-Employees are rewarded almost exclusively with juvenile shows of appreciation.
-Intelligence is met with suspicion.
-There is a "simplify the problem by adding more steps" mentality that hobbles any opportunity for process improvement. Common sense solutions are seen as a threat to "the process" because the process keeps people busy and going to very important meetings.
-Advancement and growth opportunities are scarce.

Advice to Senior Management

Simplify the processes and patients will respond favorably.

Pros

Lots and lots of process, we never have to work very hard, you have time to do pretty much anything you want. The company relies heavily on consultants and contractors and this makes our work load very light. We can focus on the big picture while they do the things we would rather not. I'll probably be here for life without ever really have to improve myself or try very hard.

Cons

Too much emphais on process without results. Management really doesn't seem to know what they want to do and relies too heavily on external consultants. There is no motivation to work very hard to keep our skills current. Whenever we have something time sensitive or difficult, it's turned over to consultants or contractors and they carry the load. I'm afraid if I had to work at another company I would neither be hired or be able to make it if I was hired. Essentially the comfort of this position has me trapped here.

Advice to Senior Management

You could save a lot of money by eliminating unneeded levels of middle management who are just coasting here. Too much reliance on consultants and contractors and too many people at all levels who believe they are entitled to a job here no matter what they do. The company is losing money and a lot of it is being wasted upon people in IT who can't do their jobs (or won't) and you have to keep paying tremendously for high priced temporary labor. Time to clean house at all levels in IT.