Where Do We Go From Here?
Introduction
Molla S. Donaldson, Jo Harris-Wehling, and Kathleen N. Lohr
The final part of the proceedings asks about the next steps in implementing the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine report. In closing the conference, two presenters, Ceylon S. Lewis, Jr. and Jerome H. Grossman, provided thoughtful and vigorous support for the report.
Dr. Lewis, who is in the private practice of internal medicine in Tulsa, Oklahoma, also serves on the Board of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. In his commentary, he reviews major mechanisms in place in the private and public sector to maintain high quality of care such as medical education, board certification, and hospital accreditation. He also comments on the IOM's 10 recommendations and how these might be accomplished by joint efforts of the public and private sectors.
Dr. Grossman is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the New England Medical Center in Boston. He sees the strategy as a "mid-course correction" in the Medicare program, and the maturation of outcomes and health status measures and the involvement of patients in their care as critical to making the shift to a broader definition of quality and outcome. He calls for a long-term investment in quality to develop a national strategy beyond Medicare.