Until the release of the Institute of Medicine report in December, the Leapfrog Group, whose founding members also include executives from General Electric Co. and American Express Co., informally met in airport clubs at major hubs. The Leapfrog Group, because of its stature, has been invited to discuss the importance of tackling the medical error problem at a Jan. 25 hearing before a U.S. Senate committee, said Paul Zurawski, legislative counsel for the Business Roundtable. That will likely include such measures as computerized drug ordering systems in hospitals, he said. Once the guidelines are established, Bradley said businesses can use them in a variety of ways. They could inform their employees which providers have met certain safety guidelines, they could give those health providers preferred status or they could even make the safety measures a condition of doing business.
Consumers are the people who evaluate and pay for goods and services.
In a traditional marketplace, consumers have the power to drive change by paying for only those goods and services that they think have quality and value. Health care, however, is riddled with a messy variety of intermediary buyers, such as employers, health plans and government, that help to diminish traditional market forces. Employers must start pushing the notion that they represent their employees in health care purchasing so the health marketplace is responsive to their quality demands, Bradley said. Because all of us feel that the health care system is definitely not optimal.