The first PAH State Task Force has been created in Massachusetts. The purpose of the force is to monitor and report annually on advances in research, lung transplantation, public awareness, health care delivery and improvements in early and accurate diagnosis all of which will affect how health care professionals provide care for patients with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.
The State Task Force is made up of members committed to advancing treatments and care for PH patients.
- Ernesto Bencosme- PH patient diagnosed in 2015
- Frank Cann-member of PHA’s Board of Trustees
- David Matthew Platt, MD- Bayer US. LLC
- Patricia Toro, MD-Massachusetts Association of Health Plans
- Thomas H. Ebert, MD- Fallon Community Health Plan and Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- Aaron Waxman, MD-Director, Pulmonary Vascular Disease Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- Laurie Lawler, RN-PAH researcher with Brigham and Women’s Hospital
* Brigham and Women’s Hospital is a PHA-accredited Center of Comprehensive Care (CCC).
Members yet to be named will be from:
- State’s Secretary of the executive office of health and human services (or a designee)
- The commissioner of the department of public health (or designee)
- The commissioner of insurance (or designee)
- Director of Medicaid (or a designee)
The task force was designed to represent the Pulmonary Hypertension community as a whole, including medical professionals, patients, pharmaceutical and insurance industries, and advocates. The task force will provide yearly summaries of care being provided for PAH patients across the state and will be developing a plan on how to improve patient outcomes. If successful, this initial task force could serve as a template for how other states could create similar forces and improve the care of PAH patients in their communities.
