Quality Conference to Address Healthcare Policy, Deadly Surgical Fires, and Improving Patient Safety

Newswise — Practical solutions for boosting quality in healthcare and patient safety will take center stage when the American Academy of Otolaryngology " Head and Neck Surgery hosts the 2007 Quality in Otolaryngology conference in Arlington, VA.

The conference, to be held June 28-29, 2007, is the premier gathering for discussing safety and quality in the specialty and healthcare in general.

The conference will feature a dialogue on where the development medical payment policy by health insurers intersects with quality of care. Alan Rosenberg, MD, Medical Director of Wellpoint Health Networks, Inc., will present information about practice pattern variations and discuss the need for collaborative research with physicians to promote effective practice and eliminate waste in the system.

Other sessions will include a forum on how patients view patient-centered care, and how to combat and prevent growing instances of fires during surgery.

Surgical fires occur over a hundred times a year, according to the Emergency Care Research Institute (ECRI), often in oxygen-rich surgical environments, and can be sparked from a wide range of sources (such as lasers, drills, electro-cauterization instruments). One in five of these cases results in injuries to the patient; statistics show at least one or two of these fires will be fatal.

The session will discuss prevention and misconceptions, while opening a dialogue about evolving technology and how patient safety initiatives can be a part of the continuing efforts to provide top quality healthcare.

What: Quality in Otolaryngology 2007Where: Marriott Crystal Gateway, Arlington, VAWhen: June 28-29, 2007

About the AAO-HNSThe American Academy of Otolaryngology " Head and Neck Surgery (http://www.entnet.org), one of the oldest medical associations in the nation, represents more than 12,000 physicians and allied health professionals who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the ears, nose, throat, and related structures of the head and neck. The Academy serves its members by facilitating the advancement of the science and art of medicine related to otolaryngology and by representing the specialty in governmental and socioeconomic issues. The organization's mission: "Working for the Best Ear, Nose, and Throat Care."