UPMC's public board meeting will be an hour of scripted PR — unless public steps it up, editorial says

Morgan Haefner -

If an annual public board meeting held by UPMC's board of directors turns into "an hour-long, scripted PR session," it will be a failure of the system and the public, according to an opinion piece published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's editorial board.

Pittsburgh-based UPMC's annual public board meeting is set for May 28 at UPMC Montefiore in Pittsburgh. According to past attendees, UPMC CEO Jeffrey Romoff will likely not attend the hourlong, heavily structured meeting, which "board members exit the building afterward like rats off a sinking ship," according to the Post-Gazette.

Members of the public, who are required to preregister for the meeting, are not allowed to speak, past participants told the newspaper. "UPMC board members should want the views of the people served (or not served) by UPMC. Even card-carrying Highmark members (personas non grata) — really, anyone who lives in Pennsylvania — are impacted by UPMC," the editors said.

In light of a controversial split between UPMC and Pittsburgh-based Highmark, editors from the Post-Gazette said more than ever UPMC and patients need to step up.

For the full opinion piece, click here.

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