Dan Ford, MBA, Oro Valley, Arizona

Dan Ford developed a deep passion for patient safety as a result of medical errors experienced in Illinois by his first wife, Diane, and the human treatment experienced when he started asking logical and genuine questions as to what happened from the providers involved.  The mother of three children (11, 14 and 17 at the time), Diane was pursuing her second master’s degree, and suffered a morphine-induced respiratory arrest following a hysterectomy.  She has permanent brain damage/short-term memory loss, a poor quality of life and resides in an independent living facility.

Desiring to convert his anger, hurt and frustration into efforts for constructive change, and using his visibility as a seasoned healthcare executive search consultant, he was invited to become involved with the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (2002) and the National Patient Safety Foundation (2004).  He has since given a number of patient safety presentations for provider audiences, including the Annual Leaders Forum of World Health Professions Alliance in Geneva, Switzerland in May, 2006, ASHRM and boards of directors, management and physician leadership of many hospitals and systems.  

He is a consumer member of patient safety committees of AzHHA in Phoenix, AZ and Catholic Health Partners in Cincinnati, OH; the Quality Committee of the Board of Directors of Carondelet Health Network (member of Ascension Health) in Tucson, Arizona;  the IHI Patient and Family-Centered Care Community; and the Joint Commission Patient and Family Advisory Group.  He was the first person in Arizona to complete THE MED FORM at a press conference in Phoenix in September, 2005 (www.themedform.com).  

Dan is a CAPS member and WHO/PAHO champion, participating in the World Health Organization regional Pan American Health Organization “Patients for Patient Safety” Workshop in San Francisco in May, 2005.   Along with five other patient/family patient safety advocates, he received the Pete Conrad Patient Safety Excellence award from Nancy Conrad and Texas Medical Institute of Technology in December, 2006, at the TMIT High Performers Workshop on the NQF 30 Safe Practices.

Dan is a Vice President with Furst Group, a healthcare executive search firm headquartered in Rockford, Illinois, overseeing the firm’s Southwest practice out of the Phoenix office. 

As a health care industry insider, his personal and voluntary journey focuses on the human side of patient safety and the role of the patient in safety.  He loves this industry, and is known for his sometimes outspoken, frequent and positive encouragement of provider leadership to role model and guide their organizations through constructive patient safety changes.  Consistent with his values, he feels the industry needs to focus on the following:  1) Patient safety is a human right, along with access; 2) Boards, CEOs and others need to be strong role models for establishing and assuring a culture of safety;  3) Providers partnering with patients/families;  4) Patient and family-centered care; and 5)  Rebuilding trust by the public in providers and by providers with each other.