Congressional bill makes medical errors confidential

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" luckypig " <luckypig

 

 

Mon, 4 Apr 2005 15:31:20 -0400

Congressional bill makes medical errors

confidential

 

Congressional bill makes medical errors confidential

 

But allows states to publish hospital infection rates and other

quality measures

 

Over the past several years, Consumers Union worked with others -

especially advocates in Vermont and over 1700 activists nationwide who

wrote Senate committee members - to successfully amend medical error

legislation so it would not preempt state laws that require publishing

of hospital-specific infection rates.

 

The legislation allows hospitals to submit information about serious

medical errors and " near misses " to newly created " patient safety

organizations, " which then makes the information confidential, with no

public access. The proposal specifically prohibits disclosing

information that identifies a hospital. Consumers Union was concerned

that this legislation would directly impact our efforts to pass state

laws requiring public disclosure of hospital infection rates.

Hospital-acquired infections are frequently considered " medical

errors. " Medical errors and hospital infections pose a significant

threat to patients and add enormous costs to our health care system.

 

As the 2004 session ended, both House (HR663) and Senate (S720)

versions contained language we felt was needed to clarify that this

proposal would not interfere with state mandatory reporting laws.

However, the bill failed to pass before the Congress adjourned.

 

Now, the proposal has been reintroduced as S544, which retains the

amendment Consumers Union advocated for, clarifying that it will not

interfere with state laws on reporting hospital quality information to

consumers. On March 8, the Senate Committee on Health, Education,

Labor and Pensions favorably reported S544; the next step will be a

full Senate vote.