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.
Pennsylvania
News Articles
- New report compares Pennsylvania hospital infection rates Source: GoErie.com (Thursday January 14, 2010)
The 97-page report compared two types of hospital-acquired infections on a hospital-by-hospital basis: catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) and central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI).
- 13,000 hospital infections reported in Pennsylvania Source: PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW (Wednesday January 13, 2010)
That’s actually lower than rates of hospital infections in other states.
- Inside a U.S. healthcare "island of excellence" Source: Reuters (Tuesday December 8, 2009)
Pennsylvania’s Geisnger Health Systems, a private, nonprofit, provides excellent care at lower costs. “Medical authorities inside and outside Geisinger credit the system’s performance to three factors: its salary-based compensation for physicians; an electronic medical records system that reduces the likelihood of treatment duplication by integrating the services of doctors, nurses and administrators; and best-practice protocols that require doctors to follow accepted standards for certain kinds of treatment.
- Making Hospitals Pay For Own Mistakes Source: CBS Evening News (Tuesday March 18, 2008)
For decades, the U.S. health care system has paid doctors and hospitals by the services performed, even if those services harmed the patient. Beginning in October 2008, Medicare will no longer pay for some major hospital mistakes.
- Hospitals Find Way to Make Care Cheaper -- Make It Better (Preview Only) Source: Wall Street Journal (Wednesday October 7, 2009)
The Pennsylvania state agency (Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council) that publishes health care outcomes like infections for more than 50 types of treatments and surgery at hospitals, has shown the state that publishing hospitals can help them improve care, and that good medical treatment is often less expensive than bad care.
- PA: Hospital report: Mixed ratings
Readmission rates were lower, but some death rates were up
- Patients at UPMC hospital may have been exposed to viruses Source: Pittsburgh Gazette (Wednesday September 16, 2009)
“The Derrick newspaper in nearby Oil City reported yesterday that “a failure to follow equipment sterilization guidelines” at the hospital resulted in “the notification of more than 100 surgical patients. “
- At V.A. Hospital, a Rogue Cancer Unit Source: New York Times (Saturday June 20, 2009)
NYT story about a Philadelphia VA hospital where many patients received botched cancer treatments.
- Editorial: Medical Mistakes Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer (Tuesday March 10, 2009)
New Jersey legislation would give public hospital-specific information on medical errors.
- University of Pittsburgh Source: Pittsburgh Post Gazette (Thursday March 19, 2009)
The Pennsylvania Department of Health has awarded the university a $4.7 million, four-year grant from the Tobacco Settlement Fund to study the spread and control of hospital-acquired infections
Research and Reports
- Pennsylvania report based on 2004 data collected under that state’s law requiring hospitals to report hospital-acquired infections
An astounding 76% of the infections were paid for by Medicare and Medicaid. Also, the report reminds us that the uninsured carry the heaviest financial burden, since they are unable to negotiate discounted prices with their hospitals, as do Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance plans.