Dear Colleagues:

The proposed work of the Utilization Management Team is of critical importance and I would like to take this opportunity to enlist your support for the effort.

Clearly, to stay competitive in this challenging health care environment, we need to continually seek greater value in all the services we provide at BWH. As physicians, that means working within guidelines for prescriptions, images, and lab tests. What needs to be uppermost in our minds is achieving excellent patient care while doing so cost-effectively, and each of us plays a key role in this effort.

Whether that means making full use of new computer order entry systems, or adopting more standardized products in the OR, these incremental gains do make a substantial impact on the hospital’s operating budget.

This is also my last letter to you as BWPO chair. It has been a privilege and an honor to work with so many of you as BWPO chairman over the last four years. I ask you to join me in welcoming Steven Seltzer, MD, as the incoming chairman. The strength of the BWPO rests entirely with the commitment and involvement of its members. Please show him the same outstanding support you have given me and continue to provide your input and insights on our policies and programs.

Sincerely yours,

Lawrence H. Cohn, MD
Chairman, BWPO