November 9, 2001
James B. Conway, Dana-Farber COO, wins National Patient Safety Leadership Award
James B. Conway, senior vice president and chief operations officer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, has been named the winner of the first Individual Leadership Award in Patient Safety by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). The honor was presented to Conway today at the JCAHO's annual national conference on quality and safety in healthcare in Chicago.
The newly created award recognizes individuals who demonstrate excellence in creating and sustaining a culture of patient safety at their own institutions as well as help other organizations to enhance their patient safety programs.
"The core ingredient in successful efforts to improve patient safety is the personal commitment to and engagement in these efforts by organization leaders. Jim Conway exemplifies the models that effect real change," says Dennis S. O'Leary, M.D., president of JCAHO.
"This recognition is a direct reflection of the hard work and commitment of Dana-Farber's trustees, administrators, staff, and patients and their families to ensure that patient safety is always our first priority," says Conway. "I am humbled by it and feel truly honored for myself and Dana-Farber."
Conway has been a principal behind the leadership efforts in continuous quality-improvement at the Dana-Farber. Some of the Institute's more significant initiatives include creating an environment that supports ongoing vigilance and the pursuit of excellence in quality and safety; instituting computerized chemotherapy order-entry systems to prevent errors; implementing a policy and practice on disclosing errors to patients; creating a non-punitive culture of accountability; researching safe-medication practices; and forming Patient and Family Advisory Councils in the adult and pediatric programs. These councils work side-by-side with doctors, nurses, and other healthcare givers to ensure that patients receive the highest possible levels of care.
He also has been active on a national level. Conway frequently speaks with leaders and staff in healthcare and government to share lessons learned at Dana-Farber about ways to reduce medical errors and improve safety. Conway and his Dana-Farber colleagues have also culled the experience of its trustees, leadership, staff, and patients and families and developed a tool that is being used by organizations around the country to guide their efforts in patient safety.
In addition to his contributions to the field of patient safety, Conway is involved with several professional and community organizations. He serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts Hospital Association and chairman of its Clinical Issues Advisory Council. A diplomate of the American College of Healthcare Executives, he received its Massachusetts Regents Award as Healthcare Executive of the Year in 1999. Conway serves as a member of the Steering Committee, Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors and on the Board of Directors of the National Patient Safety Foundation. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of MASCO (Medical, Academic & Scientific Community Organization), and a longtime member of the boards of directors of the Boston Ronald McDonald House and the Hospitality Program.
Conway earned a master's degree in applied management from Lesley College in Cambridge, Mass. and a bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. He is a long-time resident of Woburn, Mass.
Founded in 1951, JCAHO's mission is to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. JCAHO evaluates and accredits nearly 18,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including almost 11,000 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 7,000 other health care organizations that provide long term care, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. JCAHO also accredits health plans, integrated delivery networks, and other managed care entities. An independent, not-for-profit organization, JCAHO is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.
NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. More than three-quarters of Americans enrolled in HMOs are in plans that have been reviewed by NCQA. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information through the Web and the media in order to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (www.dana-farber.org) is a principal teaching affiliate of the Harvard Medical School and is among the leading cancer research and care centers in the United States. It is a founding member of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC), a designated comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute.
