MITSS 9th Annual Dinner and Fundraiser.

Exciting News, you can now purchase your tickets for the dinner on line!  We hope you can join us!  Just follow the link below.

Do Patients Want to Punish?

Do patients really want to punish when things go wrong? Good question...

We wanted to point out a great discussion on this very topic. One of our favorite bloggers, Paul Levy, has started this interesting discussion on his blog, Running a Hospital. Click here to read the entire post and comments.

What do YOU think? We would love to hear from you.

Linda Kenney

Justin Micalizzi Memorial IHI Scholarship

Our colleague, Dale Ann Micalizzi, asked that we share the following announcement. It is a wonderful scholarship opportunity as well as a memorial to a young boy who lost his life due to a medical error.

Justin’s HOPE Project and IHI are pleased to announce the Justin Micalizzi Memorial IHI Scholarship for health caregivers who are committed to pediatric patient safety and providing a safe health care environment for their patients and families. The Scholarship covers the cost of Forum General Conference fees and includes a stipend for travel, lodging, or other conference costs and is intended for those serving vulnerable, underprivileged and underserved pediatric populations. Download scholarship application information or email info@ihi.org to learn more. Deadline is Friday, September 24, 2010.

Click here for more details.

National Patient Safety Day -- July 25th, 2010

MITSS would like to join with the organizers, the World Patient Safety Day Committee, and the thousands of organizations and individuals worldwide in commemorating National, World, and Global Patient Safety Day which will be observed on July 25th. Please take a moment this Sunday to reflect and join in a shared vision of safer healthcare and a shared moment to honor the lives of all patients and family members affected by medical errors and harm.

We would also like to congratulate the Veterans Affairs' (VA) National Surgical Quality Improvement Project (NSQIP) team and PULSEAmerica as they have been chosen the recipients of this year's Florence Nightingale and Dr. E. Codman Patient Safety Day Awards.

For more information, go to www.patientsafetyday.com.

"E-Patient Dave" Joins Speaker Lineup for MITSS Annual Dinner

MITSS is pleased to announce that Dave deBronkart, best known as "e-Patient Dave," will be providing the Opening Remarks for our 9th Annual Dinner to be held on Thursday evening, November 4th, at the Westin Copley Place in Boston, MA.

E-Patient Dave is a cancer patient and blogger who, in 2009, became a noted activist for healthcare transformation through participatory medicine and personal health data rights. The Boston Globe has called him "a recognized online champion of 'participatory medicine'." He is the author of "Laugh, Sing, and Eat Like a Pig: How an Empowered Patient Beat Stage IV Cancer (And What Healthcare Can Learn From It)," just released and available on Amazon.com. The unusual title comes from the positive approach he chose to confronting his disease.

Dave joins a wonderful lineup of speakers for the evening which will feature a Keynote by Dr. Anthony Whittemore, Chief Medical Officer and SVP of Clinical Affairs for the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. And, the Third Annual MITSS HOPE Award will be presented at the event, so save the date -- November 4th, 2010 -- and please join us!

Best Hospitals 2010-11: the Honor Roll

How does your hospital rate? Are you surprised with the results. We'd love to hear from you. Click the click below to read article and the list of the top hospitals in the country.

Best Hospitals 2010-11: the Honor Roll

"Humanity" in the Court System

Check out this interesting article about a judge in New York - a recipient of one of the Obama administration's healthcare reform grants - looking to inject a bit of humanity into the malpractice system.

What We've Been Up To...

Yikes, it has been some time since our last blog post! We have committed one of the cardinal sins of social media -- we have allowed our blog to become stale!

In a sincere effort to rectify this unfortunate situation, and in an attempt to "freshen" our blog, we offer the following. Here are highlights of just some of the things MITSS has been working on of late. (With all of these exciting things going on, it's no wonder we've neglected our blog -- if only for a short time.)

-- MITSS has assembled a "blue ribbon" panel of experts from around the country to develop a tool kit for clinician support. We will be working feverishly over the summer and into the fall, and we expect to have something ready for release by the end of the year.

-- MITSS is bringing together nurse leaders from some of the minority communities and will be hosting an educational workshop slated for late August. Our goal is to find new and better ways to reach underserved populations with the MITSS message and our services. Stay tuned for details as they unfold.

-- We are now accepting nominations for our Third Annual HOPE Award. Go to www.mitsshopeaward.org for a description of the award, eligibility criteria, and a nomination form. Help us to recognize someone who is doing great work aligned with the MITSS mission (including yourself)!

-- Of course, we continue to provide educational support groups for patients and their families. We have one group just about wrapping up at the North Shore Hospital in Salem.

You can do your part, too. Let us know what you'd like to see discussed in this space and how we can better serve you. And, don't forget to check us out on Facebook -- become a fan of MITSS and of the MITSS HOPE Award. We'd love to hear from you!

Our Stories are Different -- Yet the SAME!!

Below is a link to a story written by a friend and colleague of MITSS. It is an extremely powerful story. Click the title to access Babel: The Voices of a Medical Trauma.

For me personally, this story encompasses a lot of the things that I speak about often. I will highlight a few of them.
•We are all vulnerable when we become patients.
•It's extremely difficult to question/stand up to the medical
community in times of crisis.
•We need to help the medical community to let go of their
pre-conceived notions.
•The emotional toll has to be addressed!
•Patients consistently want four things:

1.They want the truth and in a timely manner.
2.They want either an apology or acknowledement (depending on the situation)
3.They want to know what the institution is going to do to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
4.They want SUPPORT!! Support can be different things to different people – this is where open honest communications comes in – so you know what each person wants and needs.

I hope you all take the time to read this article. There are a lot of lessons to be learned.

"Medicine Means Sometimes Having to Say You Are Sorry"

They are ideals that have been touted for some time in healthcare, but where are we now with regard to disclosure and apology? How do disclosure and apology programs fit into the new healthcare legislation? Whose programs are working, and what are the barriers that prevent others from being successful? Check out Joanne Kenen's article in the April 2, 2010, edition of Miller-McCune.

Lucian Leape Institute at NPSF Releases New White Paper

The Lucian Leape Institute at the National Patient Safety Foundation released a white paper on March 10th, 2009, arguing that US medical schools fail to prepare future physicians with the skills and knowledge necessasry to ensure safe delivery of patient care. The report, "Unmet Needs: Teaching Physicians to Provide Safe Care," describes the shortcomings of the current medical education system and issues an urgent call for reform.

To read the press release and to download a copy of the report, click here.

Lucian L. Leape, MD, is the Chair of the Lucian Leape Institute and is also a Special Advisor to the MITSS Board of Directors.

The Treatment Trap -- A New Book by Rosemary Gibson

This past Tuesday, Health Care for All sponsored a program featuring Rosemary Gibson, author of The Wall of Silence. Rosemary and co-author Janardan Prasad Singh have just released a new book, The Treatment Trap -- How the Overuse of Medical Care is Wrecking Your Health and What You Can Do to Prevent It. The book explores the overuse, misuse, and underuse of medical care -- including needless surgery and other invasive procedures, out-of-control x-ray imaging, profligate testing, and other wasteful practices that have become routine among too many American doctors.

Click here to check out the book on Amazon.

Look for a profile of the author, Rosemary Gibson, in the upcoming edition of the MITSS newsletter.

2010 MITSS HOPE Award -- Call for Nominations

In honor of National Patient Safety Awareness Week (March 7th through the 13th, 2010), MITSS is pleased to announce that we are now accepting nominations for the Third Annual MITSS HOPE Award. The HOPE Award was established in 2008 to recognize people -- patients, families, healthcare providers, hospitals (or teams or departments therein), academic institutions, community health centers, grass roots organizations, EAP programs, etc. -- who exemplify the mission of MITSS: Supporting Healing and Restoring Hope to patients, families, and clinicians impacted by adverse medical events. The winner of the Award will receive a $5,000 cash prize to continue their work.

The 2010 Sponsor of the HOPE Award is rL Solutions.

Nominations are due by September 15th, 2010, and the Award will be presented at the MITSS 9th Annual Dinner and Fundraiser to be held on Thursday, November 4, 2010, at The Westin Copley Place, Boston, MA.

For eligibility criteria and submission requirements, click here. Take this opportunity to nominate someone who is doing great work. Note that self-nominations will be acceptable. Visit www.mitsshopeaward.org for all things MITSS HOPE Award -- download a nomination form, check out past winners, and much, much more!!! Also, feel free to give us a call at (617) 232-0090 or toll free at 1-888-366-4877 if you have any questions.

Patient Safety Awareness Week -- March 7 through the 13th

Patient Safety Awareness Week (PSAW) is a national education and awareness-building campaign for improving patient safety at the local level. Hospitals and healthcare organizations across the country are encouraged to plan events to promote patient safety within their own organizations. Educational activities are centered on educating patients on how to become involved in their own health care, as well as working with hospitals to build partnerships with their patient community.

This year's theme is "Let's Talk -- Healthy Conversations for Safer Healthcare."

At MITSS, we have offered a "To Do List" for healthcare organizations to support their patients, families, and clinicians during this important week. Check out our clinicians' blog for our day to day guide.

This week, and every week, we would like to remember those who have been harmed by adverse events and honor those who are working to make healthcare safer.

The Power of Sharing One's Story

MITSS has a "Share Your Story" feature on our website -- for both patients and families as well as clinicians. Recently, a mother who lost her newborn baby due to a series medical errors was kind and courageous enough to share her story with us. Check out Wendy's Story just posted to our site (www.mitss.org).

We would like to encourage anyone who has a story to share it with us and the entire MITSS community. While the facts may not the same, the feelings are all too common, and by sharing your experience with an adverse medical event, you may help other patients and family members on their journey toward healing.

After all, we are all in this together, and this is just another way that we can support and learn from each other.

Weekend Update

As the week draws to a close, we'd like to call your attention to some upcoming deadlines for some wonderful opportunities:

The National Patient Safety Foundation has issued a call for nominations for awards to be presented at its Annual Patient Safety Congress, May 17 to 19, 2010, in Orlando, Florida. MITSS's own Linda Kenney was the recipient of the 2006 Socius Award. The deadline for nominations is February 12.

The American Hospital Association (AHA) and National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) co-sponsor a year-long Patient Safety Leadership Fellowship. This a unique and exciting opportunity. Linda was actually the first consumer participant and graduate of the Fellowship in 2005. The deadline for applications is February 15.

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) will accept applications for its Safe Medication Management Fellowship until March 1.

Upcoming WIHI Program on Clinician Support

MITSS Executive Director, Linda Kenney; Dr. Albert Wu; and, Sue Scott of the UMissouri forYOU Team (the 2009 MITSS HOPE Award winner) will be featured on an upcoming WIHI program on Clinician Support. The program will be moderated by IHI's Madge Kaplan and air live on Thursday, February 4th, at 2 pm. It is free to listen in and participate, but registration is required. Click here for exciting details.

This promises to be an informative and lively program, so mark your calendars and join us!

A Less than Healthy Experience...

We recently had a patient write us with a troubling account of a doctor's visit. Her story is disturbing on a number of different levels. Read on...

Back in November, I visited my PCP for a yearly visit and confessed to her that I have been experiencing severe night sweats for the last six months. She had no idea why this would be, especially considering I am in superior overall health. To help find a solution, she ordered some blood work. Results showed that I had extremely low blood sugar, and she scheduled me for an appointment with an endocrinologist.

After waiting two months to finally see this endocrinologist, I went to the appointment with hopes of getting a solution to my troubling problem. When the doctor appeared in the waiting area and began a conversation with me, the phone rang. As the phone continued to ring, the doctor proceeded to put his head in his hands and say out loud, “I want to quit.” Of course, this was a sign of things to come.

The doctor told me that I was basically a one in a million case and didn’t know what my problem was. He didn’t want to send me for a cat scan to see if I had a tumor on my pancreas because the radiologist might want to do more tests. However, he did want me to do fasting blood work. I then asked, “So if my blood sugar comes back low again, or normal, how do the results help us solve my problem?” “They won’t” he said to me. I inquired further, “Ok, so what am I supposed to do to help stop the sweating?” “Learn to live with it” was his reply.

Learn to live with it?! I then started to cry and became angry. I exclaimed that I had to change clothes nightly and wash sheets constantly – that isn’t something anyone wants to live with! I told him how embarrassed I was to even have company over because of a sweat smell in my room – never mind engaging in any sort of romantic relationship and having someone stay the night. The doctor said to me, “I’ve never heard of a guy leaving a girl because of some sweating.” I got increasingly angry, and he slowly backed out the room leaving me alone in tears with no hope of solving my problem.

I know not every doctor has every answer, but I’d hope they would help find someone who might (and if they didn’t, not bluntly state “live with it”). How would you like to wake up in the middle of the night soaked head-to-toe, Doctor? I’m sure you wouldn’t be too happy to live that. I know I deserve better healthcare than this, and with the aid of friends I am on the search to find a new endocrinologist and, hopefully, a solution to my problem. I feel sorry for those people who might accept answers like this and continue to live with serious health issues. We all need to continue to advocate for the patient-centered healthcare that we deserve.

What do you think? If you have had a similar experience, we'd like to hear about it.

Eighth Annual Dinner Videos Ready to View!

The MITSS 8th Annual Dinner and Fundraiser held this past November 12th was a smashing success due to the support and hard work of our sponsors, leadership committee, planning committee, board of directors, and volunteers. We have posted some exciting highlights to our You Tube Channel. Check out the links below:

Click here for general highlights;
Click here for the HOPE Award Presentation (part 1);
Click here for the HOPE Award Presentation (part 2);
Click here for Linda Kenney's Call to Action;
Click here for Sue Sheridan's wonderful Keynote Address (part 1);
Click here for Sue Sheridan's wonderful Keynote Address (part 2); and,
Click here for Sue Sheridan's wonderful Keynote Address (part 3).

We hope that you enjoy these clips. We'd also love to hear what you think -- your feedback is always appreciated.

Wishing everyone in the MITSS community a healthy, happy holiday season!!!

Engage with Grace -- Reprise

Last Thanksgiving weekend, many of us bloggers participated in the first documented "blog rally" to promote Engage With Grace , a movement aimed at having all of us understand and communicate our end-of-life wishes.

It was a great success, with over 100 bloggers in the healthcare space and beyond participating and spreading the word. Plus, it was timed to coincide with a weekend when most of us are with the very people with whom we should be having these tough conversations -- our closest friends and family.

Our original mission -- to get more and more people talking about their end of life wishes -- hasn't changed. But it's been quite a year, so we thought this holiday, we'd try something different.

A bit of levity.

At the heart of Engage With Grace are five questions designed to get the conversation started. We've included them at the end of this post. They're not easy questions, but they are important.

To help ease us into these tough questions, and in the spirit of the season, we thought we�d start with five parallel questions that ARE pretty easy to answer:

Silly? Maybe. But it underscores how having a template like this -- just five questions in plain, simple language -- can deflate some of the complexity, formality and even misnomers that have sometimes surrounded the end-of-life discussion.

So with that, we've included the five questions from Engage With Grace below. Think about them, document them, share them.

Over the past year there's been a lot of discussion around end of life. And we've been fortunate to hear a lot of the more uplifting stories, as folks have used these five questions to initiate the conversation.

One man shared how surprised he was to learn that his wife's preferences were not what he expected. Befitting this holiday, The One Slide now stands sentry on their fridge.

Wishing you and yours a holiday that's fulfilling in all the right ways.

(To learn more please go to www.engagewithgrace.org. This post was written by Alexandra Drane and the Engage With Grace team. )