Welcome to the MAHQ website

From the President

 

Dear Colleagues,

Can you imagine a better time to be a health care quality professional? This spring, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will celebrate the first anniversary of the Partnership for Patients, a national program with the two goals of keeping patient from getting injured or sicker and helping them heal without complication. 

 

The partnership has already infused a billion dollars into addressing care transitions and hospital-acquired conditions.  With the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) being implemented and value-based purchasing by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on the horizon, there is a full-court press to improve quality in the nation’s hospitals.

 

Regardless of how the Supreme Court rules on the PPACA, the private payers are making changes in how they pay for care. Consumers are more and more beginning to be involved in the decision making of where they get their care. As members of the Michigan Association for Healthcare Quality (MAHQ), you are positioned on the forefront of the change that is occurring. You colleagues in the clinical setting, the hospital leadership and those that are in the finance divisions are looking to you to guide them through that change.

 

During this year MAHQ is looking to aid you by bringing more educational offerings to keep you informed to better assist your organization in improving care. Work is already underway to identify teleconference programs that will bring in pertinent and timely information. IN addition, plans for our annual meeting this fall are moving forward.

 

We are also working to enhance our Web presence to make it a resource for you to go to when seeking important information about patient safety and quality.

 

One challenge we face is our ranks are not as large as they could be. To this end, we need your help. Please reach out to your colleagues across the state and encourage them to join MAHQ. It will help give us a stronger voice to better support you.

 

It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to serve you as the president of MAHQ this year. The board and I look forward to enriching your membership and hearing from you on how we can best support you in the future.

 

Sam R. Watson, MSA, CPPS
President, MAHQ
Senior Vice President Patient Safety and Quality
Michigan Health & Hospital Association
MHA Keystone Center
Phone: (517) 886-8362 | president@mahq.com