Massachusetts Health Quality Partners
As the statewide regional health improvement collaborative in Massachusetts, Massachusetts Health Quality Partners (MHQP) was uniquely positioned to leverage and connect its existing initiatives and partnerships — including its strong multi-stakeholder governance structure of actively engaged physician, health plan and patient/public councils — to introduce and promote the Choosing Wisely® campaign in Massachusetts.
As part of their work, MHQP convened an Advisory Group every quarter to help guide the development and implementation of a localized, collective version of the Choosing Wisely campaign focused on the following recommendations:
- Imaging for lower back pain
- Imaging for uncomplicated headache
- Early induction in childbirth
- Colorectal cancer screening
- Antibiotic overuse for:
- Pediatric URI
- Adult sinusitis
- Urinary tract infections
- Cancer treatment at end of life
MHQP also launched the Choosing Wisely Massachusetts Website and conducted awareness activities via its social media outlets and a statewide radio PSA. MHQP recruited “Choosing Wisely champions” from local specialty societies, such as the Massachusetts Radiological Society and Massachusetts Medical Society’s Committee on Interspecialty, as well as supported local uptake of the campaign and materials by individual organizations including health plans, employers and provider organizations.
MHQP also rolled out campaign materials in spring 2014, starting with recommendations around imaging for lower back pain. MHQP supported the continuing work of its partners to integrate Choosing Wisely within their respective institutions and organizations.
Massachusetts Health Quality Partners is a nonprofit coalition of health care providers, health plans, employers, patients, academics and government agencies working together to promote improvement in the quality of health care services in Massachusetts. MHQP’s mission is to drive measurable improvements in health care quality, patients’ experiences of care, and use of resources in Massachusetts through patient and public engagement and broad-based collaboration among health care stakeholders.
