MMA Viewpoint
Quality Improvement Pervades All We Do
My main goal during my presidency has been to increase awareness of the importance of improving the quality of health care delivery. During this past year, I have written in this column about the pathways for improving the quality of care outlined by the MMA Committee on Health Care Quality: systems thinking, communication and teamwork, pursuit of excellence, patient-centered care, and humility. The new quarterly publication MMA Quality Review, which will debut next month, will continue to explore these themes. I urge you to read it.
It’s refreshing and encouraging to know that the MMA’s emphasis on quality in its health care reform plan has been taken up by the large group of providers and purchasers called Healthy Minnesota: A Partnership for Reform. Efforts to fund the delivery of quality care and to adequately measure the improvement in care continue in Minnesota. In the future, patients may have more information about quality measures as well as the cost of care and thus be better able to select their care on the basis of value.
Our association has made a tremendous effort to make sure that every Minnesotan receives the health care they need and deserve. Our emphasis has been on improving the quality as well as the delivery of medical care. Through my interaction with members of medical societies in other states, I realize how fortunate we are to be able to concentrate on such rewarding and promising goals. Most other states focus the majority of their efforts on liability and malpractice reform. So far, we have not been consumed by concern about the medical malpractice crisis. David Bounk, president and CEO of the MMIC Group, told the MMA Board of Trustees that one of the reasons our malpractice rates are the lowest in the country is that the quality of care is very high. I wonder if the converse is also true.
I believe that the lower malpractice threat allows us to deliver higher-quality care. When we are able to engage our patients as allies, we can convince them of the need to follow evidence-based guidelines. Also, our systems of care delivery allow us to devote resources to maintaining patient wellness rather than avoiding malpractice risk. I do not believe that the fear of malpractice litigation improves health care as so many trial attorneys have stated.
Most prognosticators think that in the future patients will assume an increasing portion of their insurance cost and physician payments. I hope this increased involvement will allow patients and physicians to strengthen their alliances and work together in the decision-making process. This may also lead to a decrease in medical malpractice liability worries.
As my term as MMA president comes to an end, I’d like to thank you for allowing me serve you. During this past year, I have traveled around the state and had the great pleasure of meeting many of you. I have also enjoyed meeting other health care professionals as well as those involved in governing this state. Minnesota is a leader in medicine and in delivering high-quality care. This leadership is possible because of the dedication and caring of Minnesota physicians who work with their heath care delivery partners. I am very proud of the MMA and the work that we do in trying to ensure the highest quality of medical care.