Ex-Medicare Chief (Don) Berwick Takes Gloves Off - Washington Wire - WSJ

New Patient Safety Initiative Stresses Teamwork, Not Blame - Dr Berwick/Medscape "Doing It Right Costs Less Than Doing It Wrong"

"....Both Dr. Berwick and Sebelius said that the new program works hand in hand with the new healthcare act  (U.S.) , which measures and pays for the kind of high-quality, coordinated care envisioned in the initiative. In addition, similar to the Affordable Care Act, Partnership for Patients addresses the problem of runaway healthcare costs.

"The options are either to cut care or improve care," said Dr. Berwick. "I'm against cutting. I'm for improving. Doing [healthcare] right costs less than doing it wrong."

For more information about Partnership for Patients, visit the HHS Web site.

Donald Berwick takes charge of Medicare and Medicaid : The Lancet

Berwick's Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) developed programmes in the US and around the world that focused on improved delivery systems. Among the group's innovations is the “100 000 Lives” campaign, which challenged hospitals to reduce medical errors. Altman said the programme “almost single handedly” changed attitudes among hospital administrators towards a focus on patient safety.

Don Berwick to Head Medicare - Great Choice by President Obama - blogger's notes

Note: having been involved in WHO's (World Health Organization) Patients for Patient Safety I had the ocassion several times to hear Don Berwick speak. Here are some notes from Trisha's blog:

Patient Empowerment Blog

By Trisha Torrey, Patient Empowerment Guide

Here's an example of Dr. Berwick's point of view. From the IHI website, this is the No Needless List:
No needless deaths
No needless pain or suffering
No helplessness in those served or serving
No unwanted waiting
No waste
No one left out

Medical News: Obama Nominates Berwick to Head CMS - in Washington-Watch, Washington

Note: good choice

Obama Chooses Health Policy Scholar as the Director for Medicare and Medicaid - NYTimes.com

Note: I have met Dr Berwick (via WHO Patient Safety), an extraordinarily compassionate individual

"WASHINGTON — President Obama will soon name Dr. Donald M. Berwick, an iconoclastic scholar of health policy, to run Medicare and Medicaid, the programs that serve nearly one-third of all Americans, administration officials said Saturday.

Dr. Berwick, a pediatrician, is president of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Cambridge, Mass. He has repeatedly challenged doctors and hospitals to provide better care at a lower cost...."

"Dr. Berwick has denounced “the insanity of health care that costs too much and achieves too little.” But at the same time, he celebrates the work of hospitals that have reduced medical errors and deaths by the systematic application of proven techniques. And he wants to disseminate the secrets of communities that provide high-quality care at low cost."