Milford Regional Experts Publish Article on Medical 'Transparency"

Milford Regional Medical Center’s Peter Smulowitz, MD, MPH, Jeanne McCoy, MD, and Bert Thurlo-Walsh, MM, RN, CPHQ, collaborated on an article recently published in the American Journal of Medical Quality. The three medical professionals authored, Building a Just Culture Through Transforming our Response to Adverse Events. Just Culture refers to a system of shared accountability in which an organization is responsible for the systems in place and employees are accountable for their choices and reporting errors.

“Creating a safe, supportive and transparent environment for patients and staff ultimately helps to improve the overall quality of care we deliver,” said Smulowitz, who serves as chief medical officer for Milford Regional. Dr. McCoy is the president of the medical staff and Thurlo-Walsh is the chief quality officer and vice president for Milford Regional.

The published article discusses key actions hospitals should take in the aftermath of an adverse outcome as well as Milford Regional’s adoption of the CARe policy, which promotes early and interactive communication with patients and families. CARe is an acronym for Communication, Apology, and Resolution.

Dr. McCoy notes a Just Culture of transparency and answerability “marries the hospital’s efforts to be a highly trusted and compassionate organization that fosters a supportive environment which will not only help to retain quality staff but also enhance our continuum of care,” she said.

“We were pleased to share our insight and viewpoint regarding our experience with fostering accountability and peer support to help advance the trust our patients have in the care we provide them,” said Thurlo-Walsh.

The American Journal of Medical Quality is a bi-monthly, peer reviewed journal that focuses on resources, processes and perspectives contributing to quality healthcare services.

Milford Regional Medical Center is a full-service, community and regional teaching hospital located in Milford, Mass. and serves patients from more than 20 towns in Central Massachusetts. The 148-bed medical center is a nonprofit, acute-care facility, where more than 300 primary care and specialty physicians are committed to providing exceptional healthcare services to our community with dignity, compassion and respect.