Letter from the BWPO Chairman
Dear Colleagues:
As a physician and a resident of Massachusetts, I am proud of our elected officials for passing the landmark health care reform package. While not perfect, it’s definitely a giant step in the right direction, and I congratulate Senate President Robert Travaglini, House Speaker Sal DiMasi, members of the Massachusetts Legislature and Governor Mitt Romney for this significant achievement.
In addition, we thank the leadership of Partners HealthCare and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts for their tireless efforts working for passage of this legislation. Jack Connors, chairman of the Partners Board of Trustees, Jim Mongan, MD, CEO of Partners HealthCare, and Tom Glynn, COO of Partners Healthcare, and a host of others from Partners have earned our congratulations and gratitude.
A special note of thanks, too, for all of your efforts in making certain our voices were heard during the debate around the future of health care for Massachusetts. We had remarkable cooperation among our clinicians during the last year as we joined the Massachusetts Health Reform, the joint advocacy network launched by PHS and BCBS of Massachusetts. Our letters to lawmakers and personal testimony are reflected in this legislation.
Massachusetts health care reform will bring health care insurance coverage to hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens as many states and the federal government struggle to cover costs of health care we are obligated to deliver to everyone. The uninsured are likely to avoid seeking routine medical care and examinations, put off hospital visits until that last minute and wind up sick from what should be preventable or manageable complications from common conditions.
BWH stands to do well under many provisions of the legislation, too. This is not an echo of the naysayers and critics who claim fiscally well-managed hospitals like BWH and the rest of the Partners system benefit more than others. On the contrary, this legislation forces health care providers to report more patient outcomes data and satisfaction scores. BWH and Partners have been at the forefront of pushing for quality measures because we deliver quality care, and we are among the nation’s leaders in measuring and reporting on our quality. This legislation will improve all care delivered in Massachusetts.
But our work is not done. The health care reform package created several councils, boards and committees to implement and achieve the various elements of the sweeping legislation in the next few years. First, this law calls for a cost and quality council and a sizeable advisory committee. There will be a new payment policy advisory board for an expanded MassHealth. A to-be-formed health disparities council is charged with gathering outcomes data and coming up with ways to reduce racial and ethnic disparities. Lastly, this legislation changes the makeup of the Public Health Council.
At BWH and Partners, we are poised to lend our expertise and experience where needed and continue make sure our voice is heard. It’s vital that we work just as hard in the next few years to make sure this health care reform is successful.
Steven Seltzer, MD
Chairman, BWPO