Good news for patients – and for those who want to improve care, and save costs:
House 1519, “An Act reducing medical errors and improving patient safety,” (bill text, (pdf)) was reported out favorably today by the Committee on Public Health.
This bill includes many of the priorities of the Consumer Health Quality Council and Health Care For All, including the use of checklists in hospitals (and see the item in today’s Globe about more checklists being developed to improve OB/GYN care), reducing of MRSA and other infections, reduction of medical errors, investigating the overuse of medicine including imaging technologies such as CT scans, and encouraging providers to apologize following medical errors or unexpected outcomes.
We thank Co-Chair Jeffrey Sanchez for his leadership on this bill (along with his Co-Chair, Sen. Susan Fargo) and also thank the co-sponsors of the bill as it was reported out of committee – Representatives Denise Provost, James Dwyer and Jason Lewis. As payment reform moves ahead, it is important to keep patient safety and quality improvement at the forefront of reform efforts. The health of all residents of the Commonwealth will be improved if these measures become law, and health costs will decline. Learn more about H. 1519 on the HCFA website. Contact Deb Wachenheim with any questions.
-Deb Wachenheim
