Obama Administration Targets Medical Errors

The White House recently announced a new $1 billion patient-safety program on the heels of a study published in Health Affairs indicating that one-third of hospital patients experience some type of medical error or accident and that 7% of these are permanently harmed or die as a result. The program, “Partnership for Patients,” is funded by the new federal health care reform law and is a partnership between private insurers, businesses leaders, hospitals, and patient advocates. Over the next three years, the program intends to reduce the number of preventable hospital acquired infections by 40% and the number of hospital readmissions by 20%.