Maine Quality Forum
Advisory Council
Membership
(5-year terms)
Representing providers
Dr. Clifford Rosen, Bangor
Dr. Janice Wnek, Brunswick
Dr. Stephen Shannon, Dean & Vice President for Health Services,
UNE College of Medicine
Dr. Robert McArtor, MaineHealth
Dr. Richard Bruns, Bangor
Nancy Kelleher, Sweetser
Rebecca Colwell, Vice President of HomeCare and Hospice, HealthReach
Networks
Representing consumers
Rebecca Martins, Patient Advocate of Warren
Jonathan Beal, Labor Attorney from Portland
Lisa Miller, Senior Program Officer, The Bingham Program
David White, President, MDI Imported Car Service, Inc.
Representing employers
Frank Johnson, Executive Director, State Employee Health Insurance Program
Daniel Roet, Director of Human Resources Service, BIW
Jim McGregor, Executive Vice President, Maine Merchants Association
Charles Morrison, President & CEO, Androscoggin County Chamber of
Commerce
Representing health plans
Dr. Karen Bell, Medical Director, Anthem
Representing MaineCare
Dr. Laureen Biczak, Medical Director, MaineCare
Key Charges
- Advising the Quality Forum/Dirigo Board on:
o Research (Evidenced-based Medicine, Quality, Patient Safety)
o Development of quality performance measures
o Data Coordination with MHDO
o Consumer Education
o Technology Assessments
o Serving as liaison with provider groups
Important Dates
- No specific statutory dates; however Quality Forum must advise on
technology priorities for CON decisions; quality benchmarks for state
health plan, and the Forum is required to submit an annual report
to the Legislature.
Legislative Charge
The advisory council shall:
A. Convene a group of health care providers to provide input and advice
to the council. The council shall invite members broadly representing
health care practitioners as defined in Title 24, section 2502, subsection
1-A, health care providers as defined in Title 24, section 2502, subsection
2, federally qualified health centers and pharmacists. Members serve
as volunteers and without compensation or reimbursement for expenses;
B. Provide expertise in health care quality to assist the board;
C. Advise and support the forum by:
- Establishing and monitoring, with Dirigo Health, an annual work
plan for the forum;
- Providing guidance in the adoption of quality and performance measures;
- Serving as a liaison between the provider group established in paragraph
A and the forum;
- Conducting public hearings and meetings; and
- Reviewing consumer education materials developed by the forum;
D. Make recommendations regarding quality assurance and quality improvement
priorities for inclusion in the State Health Plan described in Title
2, chapter 5; and
E. Serve as a liaison between the forum and other organizations working
in the field of health care quality.
The Quality Forum shall, at a minimum:
Collect and disseminate research regarding evidence-based medicine
and patient safety to promote the rapid deployment of best practices;
- Adopt a set of measures to compare health care provider performance,
working collaboratively with other organizations, including representatives
of providers, to collect health care data, analyze performance and
disseminate comparative performance information in formats useable
to consumers, providers, purchasers and policy makers;
- Conduct consumer education campaigns to assist health care consumers
make informed decisions and engage in healthy lifestyles; and
- Conduct technology assessment reviews to guide the diffusion of
new technologies in this State and to make recommendations to the
State Health Plan under Title 2, chapter 5 and the certificate of
need program under Title 22.
The Dirigo board shall develop and implement policies and procedures
for the collection, processing, storage and analysis of clinical, financial,
quality and restructuring data in accordance with this subsection for
the following purposes:
- To use, build and improve upon and coordinate existing data sources
and measurement efforts through the integration of data systems and
standardization of concepts;
- To coordinate the development of a linked public and private sector
information system;
- To emphasize data that is useful, relevant and not duplicative of
existing data;
- To minimize the burden on those providing data; and
- To preserve the reliability, accuracy and integrity of collected
data while ensuring that the data is available in the public domain.
