The Safe Patient Project is a Consumers Union campaign focused on eliminating medical harm, improving FDA oversight of prescription drugs and promoting disclosure laws that give information to consumers about health care safety and quality.
NEVER (NorthEast Voices for Error Reduction) is made up of member patient safety and advocacy organizations located throughout the northeast. The mission of NorthEast Voices for Error Reduction (NEVER) is the empowerment of patients and the elimination of healthcare harm by: advocating for patient interests in healthcare delivery; educating the public, the media, elected officials about patient safety, working toward a transparent and accountable healthcare system.
Maine
State Disclosure Reports
Consumers Union Documents
- Health and Human Services Grants for hospital infection prevention at surgical centers
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius designates ARRA money to stand-alone or same-day surgical centers to fight hospital infections in 12 states.
- State Hospital Infection Public Reporting Laws
Summary of state laws hospital infection reporting laws.
- Maine first state in nation to require public clinical trials
Groundbreaking law will help improve drug safety for all Americans
- Requiring Drug Companies to Disclose Marketing Expenditures to Physicians
Drug marketing emphasizes the latest and most expensive drugs even though these drugs may not be the best in their category according to the medical evidence.
Blog Posts
- On our radar: Maine dialysis centers may be bought by dialysis corporate giant—what’s at stake for patients?
Three dialysis clinics run by the nonprofit hospital Eastern Maine Medical Center (EMMC) may soon be purchased by one of the country’s largest for-profit dialysis companies, Total Renal Care, Inc., a subsidiary of Colorado-based DaVita, Inc. The deal is expected to close early this summer after a state review process.
- Cancer patient asks hospitals for their infection rates
Seeking safe healthcare for her cancer treatment, patient safety advocate–Kathy Day of Maine–recalls the transparency hurdles she faced when she asked a hospital for its infection rates.
- Consumer voices to be heard at national hospital infection meeting
Meet the eleven consumer advocates who will be attending a U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS)hospital infection meeting this week.
- Patient safety activists hold “conversation” with CDC
On June 16, Consumers Union’s Safe Patient Project and 11 patient safety advocates from 10 states attended the first “Consumer Conversation on Healthcare-Associated Infections” at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta.
- Let’s talk about MRSA
Learn about MRSA from the people who have had personal experiences with this harmful superbug.
News Articles
- Doctor who runs Bangor Women’s HealthCare will pay almost $300,000 to settle fed complaint Source: Bangor Daily News (Wednesday March 13, 2013)
A local board-certified gynecologist who operates three medical facilities for women’s health has agreed to pay almost $300,000 to settle a federal complaint over improper billing of Medicare and MaineCare.
- Kathy Day Letter to Bangor Daily News: DaVita Medicare fraud Source: Bangor Daily News (Friday January 4, 2013)
Maine patient safety activist Kathy Day has a letter published in the Bangor Daily News about DaVita, a dialysis chain that was recently allowed to operate in her local area.
- Five rural Maine hospitals among 13 best in nation Source: Bangor Daily News (Wednesday December 5, 2012)
Five rural hospitals in Maine receive top scores according to Leapfrog Group hospital ratings.
- Kathy Day Letter to the Editor: What do the patients win? Source: Bangor Daily News (Monday November 19, 2012)
Kathy Day, patient safety advocate, shares her hopes for Maine dialysis patients, following the sale of Eastern Maine Medical Center dialysis to Davita.
- One Nurse’s Campaign to Optimize Safe Dialysis for Patients Source: Confident Voices (Saturday November 3, 2012)
Confident Voices blogs a Q&A with patient safety activist, Kathy Day, about her recent fight for dialysis patients in Maine.
- Pen Bay Medical Center working to cut down high readmission rates after Medicare penalty Source: Bangor Daily News (Saturday August 25, 2012)
Maine hospital penalized by Medicare for having high readmission rates.
- Patient harm at Maine hospitals going unreported, studies find Source: Bangor Daily News (Tuesday July 24, 2012)
Maine counted 163 such events in 2011, largely “unanticipated deaths,” according to a June report that found “serious under-reporting” in the state.
- DaVita Faces Opposition to Eastern Maine Medical Center Dialysis Sale Source: HemoDoc (Wednesday July 11, 2012)
Blog post by Peter Laird, MD on the pending sale of three dialysis centers now run and owned by EMMC to DaVita.
- EMMC Plan to Outsource Dialysis to Private Firm the Subject of Hearing in Bangor Source: MPBN (Tuesday July 10, 2012)
State regulators heard very different stories this morning about the risks of outsourcing dialysis services in the greater Bangor area to a private corporation.
- Sale of EMMC dialysis clinics stirs concerns about patient safety Source: Bangor Daily News (Tuesday July 10, 2012)
The proposed sale of Eastern Maine Medical Center’s dialysis clinics to a for-profit corporation roused concerns Tuesday about the safety of patients seriously ill with kidney disease.
Research and Reports
- What to Do if You Have a Concern About the Quality of Care from a Maine Doctor
This tip sheet explains steps you can take in your doctor’s office to deal with your concerns about quality. It tells you how to contact places that regulate or oversee doctors.
- What To Do If You Have a Concern About Quality in a Maine Nursing Home
Advice and resources for dealing with quality concerns
- What to Do if You Have a Concern about Quality in a Maine Hospital
Advice and resources for dealing with quality concerns
Activists in Maine
Rep. Adam Goode of Bangor, Maine and 9 other representatives and senators sponsored my bill, now known as Maine LD 1038. A much abbreviated form of my proposal was signed into law by Governor John Baldacci in June 2009. We are now mandated to screen those patients who are at high risk for MRSA when admitted to the hospital. My goal is to help save lives. I only wish I had done it before I lost my father.
Kathy of Bangor, Maine
Stories from Maine
John McCleary, my father, was admitted to the hospital on September 26, 2008 with a minor fracture of his ankle. He was in that 25 bed hospital for 12 days for rehabilitation and discharged in good condition on October 5.
Kathy of Bangor, Maine
In January 2007, I went to the ER due to severe pain in right leg calf along with chest pain and shortness of breath. Due to having gall bladder surgery the previous week, and having a hereditary blood clotting disorder, I was concerned that I had a blood clot in my leg.
Michelle of Milford, Maine
Over the course of Meredith’s medical treatment for RDS (respiratory distress syndrome) and BPD (bronco pulmonary dysplasia), she suffered a range of medical errors, medication errors and hospital viruses and infections over ten years.
Meredith of Rancho Cordova, CaliforniaMaine
Back on July 8th, 2004, my father went into the hospital for what his surgeon said would be an easy valve replacement with the expectation he would be out of the hospital within 7-10 days. My father was 79 and in relatively good shape and a well built man.