Our motivation: Patients like Betsy Lehman
Betsy Lehman, a reporter and mother of two young girls, was battling breast cancer. While in the hospital, her care team made a series of fatal mistakes, giving her four times the intended dose of a powerful chemotherapy drug. Her death at age 39 in 1994 catalyzed a national movement to improve patient safety.
While progress has been made, surveys show that between 20-25 percent of Massachusetts residents have experienced a medical error. In honor of Betsy and every patient, we are advancing strategies to improve the safety of health care in the Commonwealth and beyond.