‘Rx for Excellence’: A new way to honor the best of the profession

March 17, 2008

People in the medical community can be like referees in sports. They are often doing their jobs extremely well when you don’t notice them.

It is an unfortunate reality that doctors make news when they make mistakes – or when they are accused of making mistakes.

We think it’s high time to take a step in the opposite direction, to celebrate the good work that health care professionals do every day.

With that, I am thrilled to open the nominations for Massachusetts Medical Law Report’s Rx for Excellence Awards.

In a gala ceremony in fall 2008, the Rx for Excellence Awards will showcase the people and places of the Massachusetts medical community who take extra steps to promote safety and quality in health care and medical products.

In essence, we are seeking to honor individuals and institutions that succeed in all the things we stand for: risk management, regulatory compliance, safety and quality.

But this will not be “just another awards ceremony.”

To win, you don’t have to have invented a new surgical technique or served as the head nurse at the biggest community hospital center. The Rx for Excellence Awards will shine the spotlight on the “unsung heroes” as much as the well-known leaders in Massachusetts health care.

Do you have a colleague that has an innovative system for taking information from new patients to get the most complete medical history? Does someone from your professional liability insurance company regularly provide helpful advice on keeping your office compliant? Do you know of a hospital that goes the extra mile using new procedures to make patient handoffs safer?

Please fax me the enclosed nomination form at 617-451-7326, or go to www.mamedicallaw.com to submit your nomination. You can also feel free to e-mail me a nomination or any questions at reni.gertner@lawyersweekly.com.

I hope to receive nominations from many of you soon. And I hope that once we choose the winners, you will be there to celebrate their successes with us this fall.

– Reni Gertner, MPH