n June 21, 2005, the Wall Street Journal ran a front-page story titled “Once Seen as Risky, One Group of Doctors Changes Its Ways.” The subheadline read, “Anesthesiologists Now Offer Model of How to Improve Safety, Lower Premiums.” (See full article reprinted here.) This article, an in-depth story about anesthesiologists’ decades-long quest to improve patient safety, and thereby lower liability, caught the attention of many ASA members within hours of publication. Many asked how this article came about.

Wall Street Journal reporter Joseph T. Hallinan, who had previously won a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of medical malpractice issues, first became interested in anesthesiologists’ success story while doing research for a related piece. He recognized the premise that improving patient outcomes leads to better malpractice insurance rates, and the value of suggesting this approach as a model to other medical specialties.

Robert K. Stoelting, M.D., president of the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation, was the first to get a call from Mr. Hallinan on this story. Dr. Stoelting devoted quite a bit of time then and in subsequent interviews to providing background for the article. He also referred the reporter to the ASA Communications Department for further sources and background material.

ASA has a wealth of information related to this topic in its archives, in the Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology (WLM), in past issues of the ASA NEWSLETTER, and in the institutional memories and modern-day expertise of its members and staff. All of these resources, facilitated by the ASA Communications Department, contributed to the direction, completeness and accuracy of this important story.

Long-time patient safety experts Ellison C. Pierce, Jr., M.D., and Casey D. Blitt, M.D., provided insights about the evolution of this issue within the profession, gleaned from their historical viewpoint.

Karen B. Domino, M.D., Frederick W. Cheney, M.D, and Karen Posner, Ph.D., all of the University of Washington, spoke with Mr. Hallinan about their work on the ASA Closed Claims Project and referred him to Russell T. Wall, M.D., anesthesiology professor at Georgetown University, for additional commentary on this project.

Back at the Park Ridge, Illinos, headquarters, staff of the Communications Department and the WLM, with the help of Assistant Executive Director Denise M. Jones, pulled together and summarized documents, including old board reports and various iterations of standards and guidelines spanning decades, all of which were needed to provide background and context to the story and to illustrate many of ASA’s past successes.

Communications and WLM staff hosted Mr. Hallinan for a tour of the Wood Library-Museum and arranged for him to spend a day at the University of Chicago, where Jeffrey L. Apfelbaum, M.D. and Alan Clock, M.D. hosted a tour, demonstrated various equipment and discussed modern safety precautions.

Mr. Hallinan spent months fine-tuning the details of his research and writing, coming back to ASA staff from time to time to flesh out certain facts or events. This labor resulted in a compelling, objective and insightful article of relevance to the medical and business communities as well as the general public.

ASA leadership and members regard this piece as a benchmark that will be referred to for years to come and look forward to continuing the tradition of research and advocacy that have led to the recognition of anesthesiologists as leading experts in patient safety. We also thank our surgical colleagues for their positive comments in the article, and look forward to working with all of our medical colleagues in our ongoing quest for optimal patient care. ASA President Eugene P. Sinclair, M.D., expressed this thought in a letter of appreciation to the editor of the Wall Street Journal, recognizing Mr. Hallinan’s excellent reporting.

As Chair of ASA’s Committee on Communications, I offer this article as an example of what can be accomplished with the combined efforts of a knowledgeable and dedicated staff, members who are not only experts in their field but generous with their time and good working relationships with the media.