Letter from the BWPO Chairman
Dear Colleagues:
There are many facets of Signature Initiatives across PHS that demonstrate the breadth and scope of this system-wide endeavor. CPOE and eMAR are just two components of this sweeping effort aimed at improving safety and efficiency across the board. Every element of the Signature Initiatives is founded on a singular goal of quality. BWH and PHS are among the nation’s leaders in welcoming public scrutiny of our quality data and measurements, but no one from outside our organization looks more carefully at our data than we do.
JCAHO, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and several other federal and state agencies are looking for more and more outcomes data from hospitals. The recently passed health care reform package of Massachusetts calls for increased reporting of quality data. And BWH shares our data with the American College of Cardiology’s National Cardiovascular Data Registry, National Perinatal Information Center, National Surgical Quality Improvement Project, Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database, The Leapfrog Group, University HealthSystem Consortium and the Vermont Oxford Network.
Before we know it, the public and governing agencies will demand even more public reporting, and BWH and PHS will not be holding back. Quality reporting and benchmarking long have driven our quality improvement initiatives and will continue to do so.
The boards of directors at both PHS and BWH now are reviewing quality data and reports along with system and facilities financials. Twice a year, the Partners board receives and reviews the Partners Quality Close, and our BWH board quarterly reviews a quality and safety executive summary produced by our Center for Clinical Excellence.
Our continued self-evaluation and our increasing willingness to share our data with outside agencies and organizations set us apart regionally and nationally. Our clinicians are committed to delivering quality care, and our leadership is committed to measuring it. We have a lot to be proud of, especially our Leapfrog safety measures. But there are many quality goals we have yet to reach and even more we have yet to define.
Sincerely,
Steven Seltzer, MD
Chairman, BWPO