The Partnership for Healthcare Excellence is an exciting new effort dedicated to helping Massachusetts consumers improve the quality of their health care. The Partnership believes that having patients who are educated, active and engaged is one of the best ways to improve the safety, quality and effectiveness of health care for everyone. The need for the Partnership is clear. The Institute of Medicine has reported that "serious and widespread quality problems exist throughout American medicine." According to the same group, some 1.5 million Americans are injured by medication errors every year. And a survey conducted by the Partnership showed that nearly one in five adults in Massachusetts has experienced a medical error, while 52 percent know someone who has.Research further shows that consumers are eager for information to help them make more informed health care decisions. However, the majority report that they are unaware of where to find this information. Toward this end, the Partnership is working to provide consumers with the tools and resources they need to help improve the quality of their health care.While many organizations are working at the system level to improve health care quality, the Partnership is uniquely focused on empowering patients and their caregivers so they can play a greater role in improving quality of care. The goals of the Partnership are threefold:To educate the public about the variations in health care quality;To provide consumers with the information and tools they need to improve the quality of their own care; andTo encourage consumers to become advocates for the overall change necessary to improve the safety and effectiveness of the health care system.