Coalition Formed to Improve Patient Care

The Medical Society of Virginia, the Virginia Association of Health Plans, Trigon Blue Cross Blue Shield, the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association and the Virginia Pharmacists Association today announced the formation of Virginians Improving Patient Care and Safety (VIPC&S).

These organizations will share their information and knowledge on patient care quality and invite others in the health care sector to join them in a collaborative effort to evaluate and improve patient care in the commonwealth. The group will analyze and make recommendations concerning effective mechanisms, both public and private, for quality improvement, as well as address issues raised in the recent Institute of Medicine report on medical errors.

Dr. Lawrence K. Monahan, president of the Medical Society of Virginia, outlined the coalition's broad goals. "We want to identify the research tools and protocols needed to systematically improve patient care, so we can raise standards statewide and improve practices within all of our organizations," he said. "Our goal is to help ensure that we promote high-quality best practices whenever and wherever care is delivered."

"Helping Virginians get the best care possible is the fundamental goal we all share," said Richardson Grinnan, M.D., senior vice president for Quality Management at Trigon. "We recognize that no single group or sector can find solutions alone, but by joining together, we can make a real impact on improving patient outcomes in Virginia."

Becky Snead, executive director of the Virginia Pharmacists Association, agreed. "An important part of quality is managing outcomes from medication use," she said. "We recognize that there are a number of important opportunities to improve the use of medications and look forward to working on this coalition."
Hospitals, health systems and health plans already engage in a diverse array of both required and voluntary patient care evaluation and improvement activities. 

"The coalition will provide us with an opportunity to learn from each other and to explore systems that will improve standards and procedures that will improve both knowledge and practices for the benefit of all Virginians," said Carl Armstrong, M.D., vice president and senior medical advisor of the hospital association.

"We hope members of other public and private health organizations - pharmacists, nurses, public health officials and safety experts - will join us in making health care better for all Virginians," said Mark Pratt, executive director of the Virginia Association of Health Plans. "If we seize this opportunity, we can bring together the resources to address these problems in a responsible way."

VIPC's first working session is scheduled for February 15. The group expects to issue an initial report, action plan and recommendations by summer.