AHRQ's Clancy to deliver keynote at URAC's 2012 Quality Summit

URAC's 2012 Quality Summit and Best Practices Awards, Oct. 9-11 in San Francisco, will focus on quality, transformation and patient-centered care

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Patient-centeredness, collaboration and quality improvement are on the agenda for URAC's 2012 Quality Summit and Best Practices Awards. This year's Summit is entitled Framing the Future of Health Care & Health Insurance Exchanges: Quality, Value and Innovation. It will be held Oct. 9-11, 2012, at the Parc 55 Wyndham San Francisco-Union Square.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100422/URACLOGO)

Setting the tone will be keynote speaker Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D., director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, who will present "Improving Health Care Quality through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Care." She will offer an overview of the trends and pressures converging to transform the U.S. health care system, and discuss AHRQ's role in this evolution. She will also describe how more focused attention on strategies involving patient-centeredness, quality improvement and patient safety will factor into those efforts.

"Transformation and quality improvement will only come about if the patient is involved in all areas, including providing input into the development of research and as informed and active participants in their own health care," Clancy said. "Innovative approaches such as care coordination and medical homes have helped us make tremendous strides in building a health care system that is information rich and patient-centered."

Alan P. Spielman, president and CEO of URAC, underscored the importance of a focus on patient-centeredness and quality. "Transforming the current health care system around the three-part aim of better health, better care and lower costs only happens through continuous quality improvement and engaging consumers. Through this Summit, health care professionals will gain access to the tools and insights they need to accomplish this," he said. This aligns with the organization's goals, he added. "URAC's accreditation programs are especially critical as we adjust to a new health care environment; they help ensure consumers get the best quality health care possible."

URAC's 2012 Quality Summit and Best Practices Awards will feature keynote speakers, breakout sessions and networking events that allow health care professionals to engage with national thought leaders and experts on issues at the forefront of health care quality. For details on the Summit, including registration information, visit https://www.urac.org/13thAnnualSummit/13thAnnualSummit.asp.

About URAC
URAC, an independent, nonprofit organization, promotes health care quality through its accreditation, education and measurement programs. URAC offers a wide range of quality benchmarking programs and services that keep pace with the rapid changes in the health care system and provides a symbol of excellence for organizations to validate their commitment to quality and accountability. Through its broad-based governance structure and an inclusive standards development process, URAC ensures that all stakeholders are represented in establishing meaningful quality measures for the entire health care industry. For more information, visit www.urac.org.

SOURCE URAC