Denise Giambalvo is the Washington Health Alliance’s fifth executive director, leading the organization efforts to improve quality, affordability and accessibility of care in Washington state.
She was elevated to the role of executive director after more than three years with the WHA. She first joined WHA as its Director of Purchaser Strategies, and she most recently was WHA’s Director of Member Engagement and Business Strategy. In these roles, she spearheaded successful purchaser-focused initiatives along with expanding WHA’s offerings to include well-attended forums, workgroups and webinars.
Previously, Denise was Vice President at Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH), where she managed the coordination and marketing of monthly educational programs, social media, newsletters, and employer benchmarking surveys. In addition, Denise led various sponsor and grant-funded projects including the National Employer Initiative on Specialty Drugs.
Prior to MBGH, Denise served as Executive Director for the Employers’ Health Coalition (EHC) in Fort Smith, AR, where she was directly involved in contract negotiations for the PBM, Employers’ Choice Rx. Committed to carrying out the Coalition’s mission to “enhance the general health of the community,” Denise oversaw EHC’s launch of the National Diabetes Prevention Program and negotiated a discounted group rate for employer-sponsored financial well-being programs.
Denise has led team collaborations with stakeholders on research and pilot programs including limited-fill, site-of-service, mental and behavioral health, and data analysis. Educational activities she has organized have focused on population health management, value-based benefit design, pain management, and analytics.
Denise plays an active role in strategy for the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions, where she works hand-in-hand with healthcare leaders from across the country.
Denise received her Master’s degree in Human Resource Management in 2012.