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December 19, 2007 ... Establishing a formal policy for better coordination of health care in the Commonwealth is both welcome and long overdue. Secretary Bigby should be commended for gaining support across the relevant agencies for these goals and objectives. They are certainly consistent with the goals of a caring Commonwealth and with the legislative intent of Chapter 58. The real test, of course, is for these objectives to be fully and expeditiously implemented in the ongoing practices of the respective agencies, if real savings and improvements in health care quality and safety are to be achieved. The "devil," as they say, is always in the details!

One important signature, in my opinion, is missing from the compact. Governor Patrick would do well to convert this compact into an Executive Order to give these goals and objectives the true force of law, and to direct the participating agencies to amend or develop regulations consistent with the stated goals and objectives. Other governors have convened health care task forces and issued sweeping policy statements, but they have not resulted in real health care reform. A concerted administration-wide effort to make sure that the goals and objectives of the "HealthyMass Compact" are embedded in the Code of Massachusetts Regulations would produce meaningful results.

In addition to implementing regulations to fully implement the "HealthyMass Compact," I would hope that the Governor's budget request for FY '09 would provide additional evidence of the Governor's commitment to the goals and objectives of the "HealthyMass Compact." Other governors, in the past, have issued proclamations supporting various improvements to our health care system and then cut health budgets or vetoed provisions that turned those proclamations into empty promises. The Patrick-Murray Administration now has an important opportunity to take full ownership of the health reform agenda and move that agenda forward in a dramatic fashion. 

Senate President Murray has already proposed legislation, currently being finalized, that should be strongly supportive of the concepts articulated in the "HealthyMass Compact." I look forward to a collaborative effort between the Administration and the Legislature in the coming year.

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