PROPOSED LAW HIDES PATIENT SAFETY, HOSPITAL INFECTION DATA FROM PUBLIC VIEW

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http://www.consumersunion.org/pub/home_page/000414.html

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 29, 2003

 

Contact: Lisa McGiffert (512) 477-4431;

Earl Lui, (415) 431-6747 or Ami Gadhia

(202) 462-6262

 

PROPOSED LAW HIDES PATIENT SAFETY, HOSPITAL INFECTION DATA FROM PUBLIC VIEW

 

 

 

 

New web site -- www.StopHospitalInfections.org -- helps consumers voice concerns

 

 

Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, is asking Senators to halt the

rapid advance of a bill that would make it nearly impossible for consumers to

compare the quality of care provided by doctors and hospitals, as well as keep

hospital infection rates from becoming public.

 

Medical error legislation, H.R. 663, has already passed the House, and its

Senate companion, S. 720, has cleared the Senate Committee on Health, Education,

Labor and Pensions. The Senate bill could come to the Senate floor shortly.

 

These bills could set back state disclosure laws by keeping all types of

" patient safety data " hidden from public view. They define ¡§patient safety

data¡¨ so broadly that the definition will cover hospital infection rates and

outcome measures on specific medical procedures. This could undermine great

progress made in a number of states to make public hospital infection rates and

other important quality of care data. For example, earlier this year, Illinois

enacted a mandatory reporting bill for hospital-acquired infections, a law that

would be preempted if Congress passes S. 720.

 

CU is asking Senate HELP Committee leadership to add a provision in S. 720

clarifying the federal bill does not preempt state law requiring reporting of

infection rates and other patient safety and quality information.

 

To enable consumers to voice their concerns on this legislation, Consumers Union

created a new web site www.StopHospitalInfections.org. The site is designed to

mobilize and educate the public on the danger of hospital infections.

 

¡§Hospitals should cure people, not make them sicker, " said Lisa McGiffert,

director of www.StopHospitalInfections.org. " Making infection rates available to

the public will motivate hospitals to improve conditions and guarantee patient

safety. We must not destroy this important patient safety tool.¡¨

 

Hospital infections are a little-known but deadly problem:

 

„h Hospital infections are the sixth leading cause of deaths in the U.S.

„h Hospital infections claim approximately 90,000 lives per year.

„h About two million patients contract infections unrelated to their original

condition during their stay in the hospital.

„h One in every twenty people admitted to U.S. hospitals contract an infection

while under care.

„h The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that hospital

acquired infections add $5 billion annually to direct patient care costs.

 

Supporters of the pending federal legislation claim that by keeping infection

rates from the public, hospitals would be encouraged to improve practices

because their exposure to public scrutiny and litigation would be reduced. But

there is compelling evidence that public disclosure of such data ultimately

saves lives due to hospitals responding to increased public awareness.

 

Where states have reported mortality rates at specific hospitals, publicizing

the information is credited with a significant drop in mortality rates. For

example, New York collects and reports mortality rates following coronary artery

bypass graft surgery (CABG), identifying hospitals and surgeons. The reports

have been credited with prompting a significant drop in mortality. Between 1989

and 1995, the first six years data was collected, death rates following CABG

fell from 3.52 deaths per 100 to 2.52. Even more striking, a few years after the

report was issued, some of the worst hospitals turned their performance around

completely.

 

Pennsylvania saw similar results following the publication of its own CABG

reports beginning in the early 1990s. Between 1991 and 1995, the state

documented a 22 percent decline in death rates following CABG procedures.

 

Consumers Union is seeking public disclosure of hospital infection rates

nationwide. ¡§Consumers Union's new web site, www.StopHospitalInfections.org,

will give the public easy access to vital consumer health information and a

direct route to our public officials, " McGiffert said. " Consumers as well as

employers have a stake in shining the spotlight on hospitals, promoting

competition among them based on quality of care, and making them safer for

patients. "

 

###

 

 

Consumers Union (CU), publisher of Consumer Reports, is an independent,

nonprofit testing and information organization serving only the consumer. CU is

a comprehensive source of unbiased advice about products and services, personal

finance, health nutrition, and other consumer concerns. Since 1936, CU¡¦s

mission has been to test products, inform the public, and protect consumers.

 

 

 

Consumers Union Offices: Consumers Union OPI, New York - Washington Office

West Coast Regional Office - Southwest Regional Office - Consumer Policy

Institute

 

 

 

 

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