(Paul) O'Neill criticizes UPMC as he quits its board

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04344/424136.stm

Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill has quit the board of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, saying he did so because he was frustrated that the region's largest health care provider would not embrace a regional plan for eliminating medication errors.

Without UPMC's full participation in projects to improve the quality of medical care, O'Neill said, he questioned the future of the Pittsburgh Regional Healthcare Initiative.

O'Neill helped launch the regional initiative, one of the first of its kind in the country,shortly before the federal Institute of Medicine, in a landmark study five years ago, estimated medical errors kill 98,000 people annually. He remains on its board.

"The fact that the leading academic medical center in this part of the world wouldn't make a public declaration that it was going to identify medication errors ... makes it difficult to say that the Pittsburgh Regional Healthcare Initiative is really regional," said O'Neill, who began the initiative while he was chairman of Alcoa and rejoined it after leaving his job as President Bush's Treasury secretary at the end of 2002.

[Fenris]

1. He's making a career out of posthumously complaining.

[autorank]

3. Rumors of his posthumous complaints are greatly exaggerated...

until he has emergency surgery at this hospital center.

Hey, I like the guy. He's eccentric, crabby, egotistical, and on our side from time to time.

[mhr]

5. I Think That Makes Him Iconoclastic

We could use more of them in power.

[autorank]

7. Damn, that was THE word I was struggling for. Thanx

[mhr]

8. Always Glad To Help

eom

[Eric J in MN]

2. Paul O'Neill should join the DNC, and then resign, so

we can find out the truth about what the Democratic National Committee is doing wrong.

[lcordero]

4. I'm a lot more suspicious than the next person

I guess that the UPMC rejected having to create another department and having to fund an expensive database that can be confiscated by the current administration.
I know better than not to suspect if somebody has an angle.

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

9. I worked at UPMC and expensive databases are their game...

Believe me, I was in the info svcs. at UPMC for over 10 years. They have huge, FEDERALLY FUNDED projects for information services and little to no respect for patient privacy. The executives are all monetary supporters of B*shCo ("encouraged" to give at the exec level).

[sandnsea]

6. Maybe he's just a good guy

Wasn't he the one that actually listened to Bono on third world debt and AIDS? Then he ratted out the Bushies, now this. Maybe he really is one of those rare birds that is trying to do the right thing.

[Joy Anne]

10. me, too

I like the guy, the only person in the administration to have street creds on his own, plus he calls 'em as he sees 'em. Christy Todd Whitman's kept her mouth shut since quitting, although she must be appalled. I suppose Powell will be mum as well.