Elliot M. Stone, at 59; CEO of health data consortium
Elliot M. Stone, executive director and CEO of the Massachusetts Health Data Consortium, died April 4 at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The Stoughton resident was 59 and had been diagnosed with liver cancer two months ago.
Through his work at the private, nonprofit organization, which he joined at its inception in 1978, Mr. Stone's technical foresight and innovative ideas helped transform the way the healthcare industry shares patient information, associates said.
''He was the convener and educator that brought together payers, providers, and patients as collaborators," said John D. Halamka, chief information officer of Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. ''In other states, healthcare information technology is perceived as a competitive differentiator, but because of Elliot, information technology is used to empower the state for the benefit of all."
Born, raised, and educated in Providence, Mr. Stone moved to Massachusetts in the 1960s to attend Boston University. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1967 and married Janie Cohen, whom he met in college. After attending three years of night classes, he received a master's degree in urban affairs from BU. He later completed an executive program in healthcare management at Yale University.
Mr. Stone held many positions in the private and public sectors, all of which involved data collection and analysis. He first worked as a systems analyst for John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co. and later as an instructor at the
While working in the state's Executive Office of Human Services in 1974, Mr. Stone directed a contract for the National Center for Health Statistics' Cooperative Health Statistics System to create the first databases of the state's licensed healthcare professionals. Two years later, he was appointed director of the Division of Health Statistics by the public health commissioner.
''He was always interested in the community, having studied urban affairs in college," said his wife. ''His career path took a natural progression."
In 1978, Mr. Stone became executive director and CEO of the Massachusetts Health Data Consortium, which seeks to solve healthcare issues facing the region by creating a system in which patient information can be shared confidentially among hospitals, medical centers, doctors' offices, and pharmacies. The consortium also publishes annual reports on hospital prices, utilization, and communities' hospital dependency.
''He began to realize very early on that the issues of healthcare cannot be solved within the four walls of an organization," said longtime friend and colleague Joseph Miller. ''Elliot figured out that people speak different languages and have different assumptions. . . . He figured out a way to represent the greater community's good."
Mr. Stone was also an adviser to various agencies and foundations, including the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the John A. Hartford Foundation, and the Commonwealth Fund. He was an active member of the Public Health Data Consortium and the National Association of Health Data Organizations. He was also an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health. The Institute of Medicine and the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board of the National Academy of Sciences appointed him to committees that have published numerous journal articles.
He was honored by the Massachusetts Public Health Association with its Alfred M. Frechette Award for outstanding contributions to the field of public health.
Outside of his work, his main priority was his family, his wife said. He enjoyed traveling and sports.
''At his essence, there was a sense that being civil and that being good-hearted and open and straightforward was the best way to deal with the world," said Miller.
In addition to his wife, Mr. Stone leaves two sons, Robert and Jeffrey, both of Chicago; and a sister, Freda Lehrer of Cranston, R.I.
Services have been held.
