Background and History
Recent publications and events, such as the Institute of Medicine reports and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Policy (AHRQ) publications and meetings, have focused national attention on medical errors, patient safety, and best practices. Washington has a significant history of innovative quality improvement efforts in which a broad group of diverse participants convenes in a non-punitive atmosphere to achieve common goals. Collectively, these activities provide an important environment in which to build new, effective working relationships among the many communities interested in and committed to patient safety in Washington.
Along with many others in Washington, the Department of Health (DOH) and the Health Care Authority (HCA) share an interest in improving patient safety and in working most efficiently and effectively. They approached the Foundation for Health Care Quality to convene and facilitate a work group representing a broad spectrum of those interested in these challenges. The Foundation was asked to serve in this role because it is recognized and respected as the ‘safe table’ to which representatives of many parts of the health care system can come together to work on shared goals. Many members of this group were already working on issues of patient safety and welcomed the opportunity to work in a more coordinated way. These members included provider associations, purchasers, consumers, health plans/health care delivery systems, and organizations devoted to quality improvement and risk reduction.
Major Activities
Discussions among the Department of Health (DOH), Health Care Authority (HCA), Boeing, AHRQ, and the Foundation created the impetus to develop an invitational conference in June 2002 as the first event of a broad, collaborative statewide effort. The 100 participants were representatives and leaders from across the health care delivery system who are committed to and responsible for improving safety. Participants used a structured, facilitated model to explore and understand the perspectives of consumers, health plans, purchasers and providers of the prevention of error as an important intervention; they identified short- and longer-term goals and strategies; and individually and collectively made a commitment to provide and/or find the resources and infrastructure to achieve those goals.
Following this Inaugural Conference, the Steering Committee used the full reports and summaries of the work groups to derive the Coalition structure and goals.
