ACMQ President’s Page

Abstract

Dear ACMQ Members and other AJMQ Readers, As president of ACMQ (American College of Medical Quality), I want to update you on the College’s progress this past year in 2018 and what is in store for 2019. Without a doubt, this is an exciting time for our members, who represent the top health care quality leaders across the country. First, ACMQ has never been better in its 46th year of existence. Since 1973, we continue to attract excellent new quality professionals to the College, who are anxious to advance their careers. Our vibrant Student/Resident/ Fellow section consists of many “rising quality stars” who get excited about improving health care early in their careers. We will also soon announce a new category of membership for “Emerging Leaders,” which will be offered to those who are completing training and educational requirements and starting their careers as licensed health care professionals. The Annual Medical Quality meeting, MQ 2019, is a wonderful tradition, allowing representatives from many top health care organizations to participate in state of the art conversations with our national experts about successes and challenges facing the field today. This meeting also allows attendees to catch up with old friends, network, and develop new relations with other quality leaders like themselves as an ongoing professional “support group.” It is not too late to register, please do so today at acmq.org. The American Journal of Medical Quality (AJMQ) remains an excellent and reliable print and online source of quality improvement research published by thought leaders from many of the top academic medical centers and large health systems. Led by Editor-in-Chief David Nash, Dean of the Jefferson College of Population Health (JCPH), and supported by the professional scientific publication team from the JCPH, the AJMQ Editorial Board consists of an impressive group (close to 100) of the nation’s top quality and patient safety experts. Thanks to the excellent leadership of Mary Reich Cooper and Arlene Seid, the ACMQ Education Committee provides our members ongoing access to the latest topics in the field of quality through our monthly webinars (check for these dates on the ACMQ website). In addition, this Committee organizes and hosts quality improvement training sessions at the Annual Medical Quality meeting as well as for special requests from health systems, state medical associations, and for the United Arab Emirates. ACMQ faculty experts in Quality Management provide on-site training and educational opportunities for those organizations interested in encouraging leadership development specifically for the growing field of quality and quality improvement. On the national front, ACMQ is also active in monitoring key health policy changes and participating in public forums and discussions regarding the field of health care quality. College leaders participate routinely as members of the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates (HOD). The AMA HOD consists of more than 500 physician leaders from across the United States, and frequently debates and endorses important AMA policy positions on quality, quality measurement, value-based payment, and other topics relevant to improving the Quadruple Aim. ACMQ has also been an active member in the National Quality Forum since its inception and continues to actively participate in major committees, technical advisory panels, and public forums. As we are one of the only few professional organizations with “Quality” in its title, the College is often at the center of many discussions and debates regarding consensus development activities for quality measures deployed in programs developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation Center, state medicaid agencies, commercial payers, professional medical associations, and other such major national quality and patient safety initiatives. Last, ACMQ’s “Pride and Joy” is in our vibrant and growing Student/Resident/Fellow (SRF) section. Since its inception in 2004, the SRF membership has grown to more than 100 members, who are all passionate believers in learning about how to improve quality and patient safety as an important career aspiration to become future national quality leaders. All SRF members have direct access to an enthusiastic group of professional mentors throughout the entire rest of the ACMQ membership. Membership in ACMQ offers you many benefits, including the ability to apply for Fellowship (FACMQ) and Distinguished Fellowship (DFACMQ). In addition, 838072 AJMXXX10.1177/1062860619838072American Journal of Medical Quality research-article2019