First of its Kind Survey on Healthcare Reform Released BUFFALO, NY (wned) - Long before the latest debate over healthcare reform got underway in Washington, some local groups got together to find out what the community wants from its healthcare system and how to improve it. The results of the initiative were released yesterday in Buffalo.

The Community Foundation of Western and Central New York, the John R. Oishei Foundation and the P2 Collaborative teamed up nearly two years ago in an effort to improve the region's healthcare system. The group conducted more than 100 "Reaching for Excellence conversations" with more than 1700 people to find out what they want and need from the healthcare system in the future.

Oishei Foundation President and CEO Robert Gioia says the program is getting rave reviews across the country.

"You talk to all the experts in the country. None of this has ever been done before. and it's millions of dollars of investment by philanthropy to really improve a system that clearly is broken," Gioia said.

P2 Collaborative,Executive Director Shelley Hirshberg says overall, the initiative is focused on quality improvement, equity and empowering people to be educated users of healthcare.

Hirshberg said the group will also be working very closely with local physicians "to bring resources and tools to them, to help them adopt electronic medical records, to work through clinical transformation of their practices and really provide them with support to understand the data, understand these findings and how we use them to improve quality in their practices in the field."

The group, Hirshberg said, also plans to use the data it collected to come up with models for national healthcare reform.

More information is available at www.rx4excellence.org

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