January 5, 2007

Meyer named senior vice president for Quality and Patient Safety

Gregg S. Meyer, MD, MSc, medical director for the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization (MGPO), (right) has been named senior vice president for Quality and Patient Safety for the MGH and the MGPO. In this newly created position, Meyer will be responsible for building upon and coordinating the hospital's quality and safety programs.

Meyer brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his new role. Prior to joining the MGH, he served as director of the Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, where he was responsible for conducting and supporting research on quality measurement, improvement and reporting. Meyer also has served on a number of key committees concerned with quality and safety, including the Joint Commission Board of Commissioners, the National Committee for Quality Assurance's Committee on Performance Improvement, the World Health Organization's Scientific Peer Review Group on Health Systems Performance Assessment, NASA's Medical Policy Board and has co-chaired the National Quality Forum's Safe Practices Maintenance Committee. He will be joined by Elizabeth Mort, MD, associate chief medical officer for the MGH, who has been named vice president and will work with Meyer to develop the hospital's quality and safety program.

"This announcement signals that the MGH and MGPO commitment to quality and safety is taking on even greater importance," says Peter L. Slavin, MD, president of the MGH. "We have a strong foundation of excellence, yet we have much work to do to make sure each patient has the best possible experience and outcome." Adds David Torchiana, MD, chairman and chief executive officer of the MGPO, "I would like to add my congratulations to Gregg for being chosen for this role. This choice reflects the confidence we have in Gregg's leadership and talents as well as the priority focus that quality and safety has become for the MGH."

Meyer's appointment comes as the MGH is renewing and revitalizing its commitment to quality and patient safety. Many of the MGH's clinical and administrative leaders recently attended educational retreats at Harvard Business School, and the hospital has begun forming "tiger teams" to address specific quality and safety issues that require urgent attention. These efforts will be guided by the results of the recent visit by surveyors from the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, which found several areas needing improvement across the MGH. Meyer and his team will begin their work with a top-to-bottom review of the hospital's quality and safety efforts and will develop a plan for their transformation.

"I am excited to take on this new role, and its creation says a great deal about the general direction of the MGH and MGPO," says Meyer. "I am looking forward to working with my colleagues to create the organizational structure that will support the MGH and MGPO in leading the nation in quality and safety."