Rocky Marciano and Health Care for All's Consumer Health Quality Council

The boxer Rocky Marciano retired young, at age 32, unbeaten after 49 victories.  So, too, with us:  we disbanded the CHQC this week after a six-year run.  Or maybe we were more like Sylvester Stallone's Rocky:  we got heart, and we always felt like the underdogs, even if, like Rocky, we were oddly fated to have a Hollywood ending.  

Our knockouts:

Successfully advocated for laws regarding: Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFACs) and Rapid Response Methods (RRMs) in all Massachusetts hospitals, public reporting of infections and serious events, nonpayment for care needed following a serious event, checklists in all Massachusetts hospitals, apology and disclosure following medical errors, shared decision-making, and tracking and reducing harm from CT scans.

Established workgroups to track implementation of PFACs, RRMs, public reporting and nonpayment. Created a PFAC informational web page and a hospital PFAC web page with links to all hospitals' PFAC annual reports. Gathered and analyzed hospitals' PFAC reports and wrote a summary report on their 2011 PFAC reports. Requested information on the use of Rapid Response Methods from all Massachusetts hospitals and created a Rapid Response Methods web page.  Sent written comments to the Department of Public Health following the release of reports on infections and serious events.

Created a website, The Assertive Patient, with resources for consumers who have had difficult healthcare experiences. The site includes a list of all Massachusetts hospitals with information on how to file a complaint or air concerns.

A story bank of written and videotaped healthcare stories from Consumer Council members about difficult healthcare experiences and how those impacted hope to make a difference in improving care.

Bravissimo! from me as former president, to our current and former Dream Team members:

Dalia Al-Othman

Linda Burgess

Celestine Cox

John Evers

Myra Fournier

Ginny Harvey

Barbara Holtz, Vice President

Linda Klein

Laura Liebster

Kuong Ly

James Madden

Lisa Nash

Dori Peleg

Elizabeth Pell, former Vice President

Joseph Prates

Lucilia Prates, first President

Linda Roberts

Keely Sayers

Margot Schwartz

Kim Slack

Marla Stein

Jamie Stevenson

Jen Tosca

Nicola Truppin, President

Deb Wachenheim, HCFA Health Quality Manager

Lee Weinstein

Su Yoon

Alec Ziss

Thanks to Deb Wachenheim for the summary of our accomplishments, and for her dedication throughout.