News Releases
Unique Statewide Coalition to Educate
Consumers to Improve Health Care
BOSTON – SEPTEMBER 17, 2007 – A unique statewide effort to educate and motivate consumers to improve the safety and effectiveness of their own health care was announced today.
The Partnership for Healthcare Excellence is a broad-based coalition with participants from every segment of the health care community. Its members include consumer associations, disease and advocacy organizations, doctors and insurers, business groups, labor, public health advocates and other health care leaders.
The Partnership is the first statewide effort of its kind to focus specifically on patients – helping them to play a greater role in improving the quality of their health care.
The goals of the Partnership are threefold:
- To educate the public about the variations in health care quality;
- To provide consumers with the information and tools they need to improve the quality of their own care; and
- To motivate consumers to advocate for overall health care system change such as increased use of electronic medical records and e-prescribing.
“The Partnership for Healthcare Excellence strongly believes that consumers deserve a stronger voice when it comes to the safety and effectiveness of their health care,” said Partnership Chairman Jim Conway, senior vice president at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. “Most of the work currently being done to improve health care quality is focused on health care staff and providers. The Partnership wants to help make consumers part of that conversation.”
Marilyn Schlein Kramer has been chosen as the Executive Director of the Partnership. She recently served as President and CEO of DxCG, Inc. – a health care information technology company and as a strategic consultant to several technology companies.
“Marilyn has been on the cutting edge of efforts to harness the power of information technology to improve health care quality. She has a track record of successfully building a company from the ground up and a strong discipline in achieving results. With her experience in health care and her commitment to patient education and advocacy, she is the right person to lead this unique effort,” said Conway.
The Partnership will launch a multi-faceted public education campaign later this year including advertising, website, community and corporate partnerships, direct mail and grassroots outreach to help engage consumers. Initially, these education efforts will focus on helping patients promote medication safety and prepare for a safe stay in the hospital, as well as educating patients on how to better communicate with their doctors.
“The Partnership believes consumers need to be in the driver’s seat when it comes to improving the quality of their health care. We want to help create a grassroots movement to help make that happen,” said Zoila Torres Feldman, Partnership board member and President of the Great Brook Valley Health Center in Worcester.
In addition to Conway, the leadership of the Partnership for Healthcare Excellence includes Paul Guzzi, President of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce; Dr. Howard Koh, Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health, Harvard School of Public Health; John McDonough, Executive Director, Health Care for All; Peter Meade, Executive Vice President of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts; and Zoila Torres Feldman, President, Great Brook Valley Health Center, Worcester.
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CONTACT:
Marilyn Schlein Kramer
Executive Director
The Partnership for Healthcare Excellence
Tel. 508-333-1324
E-mail: mkramer@healthexcellence.net