Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Citizens' Guide to State Services

Published by
William Francis Galvin
Secretary of the Commonwealth
Citizen Information Service

Health: Patient Protection/Safety

H50 Office of Patient Protection

H51 Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety and Medical Error Reduction

H50 Office of Patient Protection
Bureau of Health Care Safety and Quality
Department of Public Health
250 Washington Street, 2nd Floor
Boston, MA 02108
Toll Free: 1-800-436-7757
Fax: 617-624-5046
www.mass.gov/dph/opp
E-mail: opp.opp@state.ma.us

The Office of Patient Protection, created by Chapter 141 of the Acts of 2000 and in operation since January 1, 2001, is charged with developing regulations and implementing new statutory provisions of M.G.L. Chapter 1760 for residents covered by a state carrier, insurer or HMO regarding their rights to understanding their health coverage’s internal grievance procedures, as well as establishing a process for obtaining an independent external review where coverage is denied based upon a medical necessity determination. An insured individual who receives an adverse determination of an internal grievance has the right to an external review of a covered benefit within 45 days, and may obtain the necessary forms by calling this office or by accessing the department’s website for a form. To file a complaint, contact the Division of Insurance’s new Bureau of Managed Care, see D15.

H51 Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety and Medical Error Reduction
Bureau of Health Care Safety and Quality
Department of Public Health
99 Chauncy Street
Boston, MA 02111
Tel: 617-753-8000
www.mass.gov/dph/betsylehman

The Lehman Center will serve the purposes of improving patient safety and medical errors through coordinating state agency initiatives, promoting ongoing collaboration between the public and private sectors, coordinating state and federal patient safety programs, and promoting patient safety through educating both health care providers and patients. The Center will initially focus on projects that provide for the development of best practices in areas such as the prevention of medication errors in nursing homes, and for the implementation of the four best practice initiatives developed by the coalition and the Patient Safety Improvements Corps. Additional activities planned include projects on health system and individual practitioner accountability, and further development of medical error and "near miss" reporting systems.

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Citizens' Guide to State Services Table of Contents

William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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