Stakeholders Join Forces in Attempt to Improve Safety, Reduce Health Care Costs
Authors: Rebecca Voelker
Journal: JAMA (2011)

THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION HAS launchedanewcampaignaimedat savingtensofthousandsoflivesand up to$35billionover3yearsbycreating anationalpartnershiptoimprovethequalityandsafetyofUShealthcare.Morethan 500 hospitals, along with physician and nursinggroups,employers,andconsumer advocacy organizations, have agreed to participate in the new program. Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, said the administration will dedicate up to $1 billion in new funds from theAffordableCareAct for the initiative, called the Partnership for Patients: BetterCare,LowerCosts(http://tinyurl.com /3oake65). Inaddition,Sebeliussaidphysiciansandhospitalswill receive“anunprecedented range” of information on what other health care professionals are doing to improve patient safety. “This is not just about improving health,” Sebelius said in a statement. “By reducing medical errors, we will also bring down rising health care costs, which have put a growing burden on families, businesses, and government.” A study in the April issue of Health Affairs reported that 2 methods commonly used to track adverse events— voluntary reporting and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Patient Safety Indicators—miss 90% of adverse events. Overall, adverse events occur in one-third of hospital admissions, the study noted (http://tinyurl.com /3qcgkun). Partnership for Patients has 2 goals. The first is to decrease preventable hospital-acquired conditions by 40% from 2010 levels by 2013. Federal officials estimated that achieving this goal could eliminate 1.8 million patient injuries and save more than 60 000 lives over the next 3 years. Up to $500 million will go toward this objective. Participating hospitals will target 9 areas with the potential for large reductions in harm to patients, including preventing adverse drug reactions, pressure ulcers, childbirth complications, and surgical site infections. The second goal is a 20% reduction in all hospital readmissions by 2013 compared with 2010. By decreasing preventable complications that can occur when patients are discharged to their homes or to another care facility, an estimated 1.6 million patients would not require rehospitalization within 30 days of being discharged, according to federal officials. Another $500 million will be available for this part of the initiative, in which community-based organizations will partner with acute care hospitals to offer services at discharge. Upon leaving the hospital, patients would receive up-to-date education materials that are culturally and linguistically appropriate. Services also would include medication review and management as well as self-management support within 24 hours of discharge. According to federal officials, an estimated 1 in 7 Medicare beneficiaries is harmedduringmedicalcareatanannual cost to the government of $4.4 billion. Also,nearly2.6millionMedicarepatients whoaredischarged fromhospitals every yeararereadmittedwithin30days,which costs more than $26 billion annually. “Every timeapatientgets an infection in the hospital or is readmitted because they didn’t get the right follow-up care, ournationalhealthcarebill goesup,”Sebelius noted. “That’s why it’s estimated that reaching the targetswe’ve setwould save up to $35 billion across our health care systemover3years, includingup to $10 billion for Medicare. Over 10 years, the reduction inMedicarecosts couldbe around $50 billion.” news@JAMA From JAMA’s Daily New Site