Hospital Error Reporting and Federal Program to Prevent Errors

September 02, 2011 (Press-News.org) Hospital Error Reporting and Federal Program to Prevent Errors

Health care systems in America are considered some of the best in the world; however, the system is not perfect and is in a state of reform because of the increasing number of preventable medical errors. Yet, many more errors go unreported. As a result of this growing problem, the federal government announced a new initiative to combat this public health issue.

In April 2011, the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) unveiled its Partnership for Patients: Better Care, Lower Costs (PFP) program. Spurred by recent study data about medical errors and events, this health care improvement initiative is a public-private partnership designed to improve the quality, safety and affordability of health care services.

Today, nearly one-third of all hospital patients suffer some adverse event during their stay, according to a study published in "Health Affairs," a health policy journal. Using a new data collection method, the Global Trigger Tool, researchers found that a significant majority (90 percent) of hospital errors go unreported.

The PFP program has two fundamental goals. The first goal is reduce the number of preventable hospital-acquired conditions, such as infections. The second goal is to aid patients' healing without increased complications by improving transitions into other care settings, including nursing facilities. The success of these goals will prevent millions of injuries and save tens of thousands of lives.

Under the new program, the health care providers will target nine adverse error categories, including adverse drug events, surgical site infections, and injuries from falls and immobility. Providers will focus on devising systems or protocols to reduce the negative patient outcomes.

Funding for this new program, which is designated up to $1 billion, is authorized by The Affordable Care Act. The DHHS believes that over the next three years this new safety, quality and accountability plan will save Americans up to $35 billion dollars, including up to $10 billion in Medicare savings. Over the next decade, the program could create billions more in Medicaid savings and reduce Medicare costs by almost $50 billion.

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