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HealthMart 2003
Quality Improvement Initiatives Conference

"Making the Business Case for Quality Improvement: Perspectives of Employees, Employers, Providers, Government, and Health Insurers"

Meet-the-Experts Sessions Description: Massachusetts Policy Makers Address Quality Concerns

Despite a dreary fiscal picture, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts continues its efforts on quality-of-care issues, and Massachusetts Health and Human Services Secretary Ronald P. Preston, PhD, and Nancy Ridley, MS, Assistant Commissioner of the Bureau of Health Quality Management for the Department of Public Health, will provide updates on government initiatives and answer questions at the Consortium's Oct. 24 HealthMart 2003 conference.

"With most states currently experiencing budget problems, it is important but difficult to keep the issue of patient safety on the radar screen," said Ms. Ridley. "Massachusetts can act as a leader in this effort, since we have a rich history of public and private collaboration that focuses on prevention of errors and a safer health care system."

Secretary Preston, who has been involved in streamlining the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to improve services, will discuss "A Vision for Establishing an Affordable, Integrated Delivery System for Acute Care." The moderator for the session will be John Fromson, MD, Vice President for Professional Development for the Massachusetts Medical Society.

Ms. Ridley's session will be moderated by Gregory L. Sarno, administrator of the Massachusetts Coalition of Taft-Hartley Funds.

Ms. Ridley will speak about recent developments in the area of regulation and patient safety as driving forces toward quality. Specifically, she will discuss the Department of Public Health's regulatory role, as well as collaborative efforts with the private sector, including the work of the Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors. This discussion will focus in part on the Legislature's decision to move certain Boards of regulation under DPH's authority and the work of DPH's federally funded patient safety grant, which partly focuses on voluntary best practice models for hospitals.

The "Meet-the-Expert" forums with Secretary Preston and Ms. Ridley will take place at the Consortium's Oct. 24 HealthMart 2003 conference at The Sheraton Boston Hotel.