Many thanks to Tony Chen for inviting me to write a guest column over at Hospital Impact about a session Paul Wiles, left, CEO of Novant Health in Winston-Salem, NC; and Greg Kutcher, right, CEO of Immanuel St. Joseph's Hospital in Mankato, MN; and I held at the IHI National Forum in Nashville. Jim Reinertsen ably handled the master of ceremonies job. The point of the entire session was to emphasize that final accountability for the quality and safety of patient care in a hospital lies with the CEO, with important backing from the Board of Trustees.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
IHI Session for CEOs and Trustees
Many thanks to Tony Chen for inviting me to write a guest column over at Hospital Impact about a session Paul Wiles, left, CEO of Novant Health in Winston-Salem, NC; and Greg Kutcher, right, CEO of Immanuel St. Joseph's Hospital in Mankato, MN; and I held at the IHI National Forum in Nashville. Jim Reinertsen ably handled the master of ceremonies job. The point of the entire session was to emphasize that final accountability for the quality and safety of patient care in a hospital lies with the CEO, with important backing from the Board of Trustees.
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Dear Paul:
Thank you for your posting about the wonderful work of the IHI and your 12/4/08 posting on patient safety. Although most of my career is in hospice and palliative care, I am currently one of less than a dozen physicians in the US working as patient advocates. I believe that to truly make changes in patient safety, the healthcare system needs to empower patients to actively partner in all aspects of their care. Here are some simple tips for patient safety from my 2007 booklet “Don’t Leave the Hospital Sicker Than You Went In!”
1. Don’t try to go it alone. Whether you the physician chief of a department at a major teaching hospital or a grocery clerk, when you are a patient you are vulnerable and you may not be functioning at your usual level.
2. Always bring an advocate. Whether your spouse, adult child, neighbor, or someone paid, an extra pair of eyes and ears can help take in important information and avoid errors.
3. Bring a list of prioritized questions. We all bring lists when we go to the supermarket and it is fair to say that the stakes are a bit high when we are seeing our doctor.
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