NEEDHAM, Mass. — Patient AdvoCare and Melior Consulting Group are hosting a first-of-its kind conference for patient advocates at “Empowering Patients to Partner with Clinicians,” on November 14. The conference will feature keynote presentations by two nationally known patient safety experts. Nancy Achin Audesse, the recent head of the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine, will describe her vision of fully empowered patients. Audesse was the first to make a state Board’s information on doctors broadly available to the public on the Internet. Earlier, as a State Senator and cancer survivor, she sponsored or co-sponsored legislation to improve the quality of mammography services in Massachusetts, to fund the state Breast Cancer Initiative, and to require insurance coverage for certain categories of cancer treatments.
Ken Farbstein, the award-winning head of Patient AdvoCare and writer of Patient Safety Blog (www.PatientSafetyBlog.com), will describe inspirational stories of patient advocate heroes.
Deborah Wachenheim of Health Care for All will describe the new laws that expand healthcare coverage and improve hospital patient safety. Other sessions at the conference will focus on resources that are available for patient advocates and on informed decision making.
“We have to help our elderly parents and our children to grapple with chronic illness and medical errors. They need health advocates to teach them how to work with their doctors and nurses in this scary new world, and how to advocate for themselves. This conference will help patient advocates like social workers, geriatric care managers and lawyers to improve the ways they help vulnerable people during healthcare crises,” said Ken Farbstein, the head of Patient AdvoCare. “Our diverse participants will discuss new mottos and mantras for empowering their ill clients and constituents.”
The day-long conference will take place at the Babson Executive Conference Center in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Complete information about the conference program, registration, and keynote speakers is available at http://www.PatientSafetyBlog.com/2008/09/our-conference-for-patient-advocates.html .
About Patient AdvoCare
Patient AdvoCare coaches health advocates on empowering their clients and constituents, enabling them to stay safe and healthy while in the healthcare system. For more information, see http://PatientAdvoCare.com.
About Melior Consulting Group
Melior is an award-winning consulting firm that advises leaders of hospitals, alcohol and addiction treatment providers, medical groups, health maintenance organizations, and government agencies on ways to improve the quality of healthcare while improving the health of their bottom lines, particularly through rapid cycle change. For testimonials, awards, and more information, see http://MeliorConsulting.com.
