The Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety released a new report Thursday offering recommendations to aid and bolster safety improvement efforts in Massachusetts emergency departments (EDs). In “Urgent Matters: Improving Safety in Massachusetts Emergency Departments,” an expert panel of emergency department physicians, nurses and patients from across the state focuses on three areas of risk: crowding, cognitive overload and post-ED care coordination. MHA representatives were part of the workgroup and participated in the report’s development. You can access the report and accompanying toolkit here.

MHA recently spotlighted Heywood Healthcare’s Tele Behavioral School Based Counseling Program, which provides counseling services to students in North Central Massachusetts during their school day. The program highlights the tremendous potential of telemedicine to reach patients who often lack access to care – in ways that fit their lifestyles. MHA is part of a coalition of over 30 healthcare organizations supporting a bill (HB991/SB612) that would ensure programs like these are given solid ground on which to succeed by creating a comprehensive definition of telemedicine, establishing insurer coverage parity for telehealth services, and reduce the paperwork so that clinicians can treat patients virtually. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Thomas Golden (D-Lowell) and Sen. Jason Lewis (D-Winchester). Watch the video on the school-based program here.

Patricia (Tish) McMullin, Esq., has been named the new Executive Director of the Conference of Boston Teaching Hospitals (COBTH). McMullin currently serves as Special Counsel and Director of Government Affairs for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Part of Beth Israel Lahey Health, and comes to COBTH with extensive government relations and advocacy experience from across the healthcare sector.

Pamela Whelton has stepped down as president of South Shore Hospital, and former South Shore Hospital president and CEO Gene Green, MD, MBA, has returned to the role. Green will also continue to serve as president and CEO of South Shore Health.