State Disclosure Reports
- Washington Healthcare-Associated Infection Annual Reports
Consumers Union Documents
- State Medical Error Report Links
Reports from the states with laws requiring public reporting of medical errors.
- Letter from Consumers Union and Washington Advocates for Patient Safety on medical board secrecy
Consumers Union and the Washington Advocates for Patient Safety oppose SBH 2139 unless it is amended to make the “nondisciplinary resolution” of complaints and physician problems a part of the public record at the state and national level.
- Presentations from the Consumers Union/Washington Advocates for Patient Safety Meeting
Washingtonians: Become Safe & Savvy Health Care Consumers! Joint Presentation by: Consumers Union – Safe Patient Project Washington Advocates for Patient Safety September 30, 2013 CU Safe Patient Project and hip and knee warranty campaign overview-Lisa McGiffert, Suzanne Henry CU storytelling and social media-Daniela Nunez WA advocates for patient safety overview– Yanling Yu Transparency and Accountability Continue Reading
- Consumers Union and Washington Advocates for Patient Safety comments on the WA hospital infection reporting program
Consumers Union and Washington Advocates for Patient Safety submitted comments on the WA Dept of Health legislative draft report on the hospital infection reporting program.
- Letter to WA governor on House Bill 1471, hospital infection reporting
CU strongly urges the Governor to stand with consumers and ensure that current reporting on infections associated with hip and knee replacement and cardiac surgeries is retained in the law.
- Stop the rollback of Washington’s hospital infection reporting law!
Your Washington lawmaker is voting soon to take away your right to know important life-or-death information in your state!
- WA Bills Remove Critical Hospital Infection Reports from the Public View
Consumers Union statement on the regressive bills.
- Testimony of Elizabeth M. Imholz, Consumers Union Special Projects Director before CA Senate Health Committee
Stopping the occurrence of medical harm
- CU testifies at Senate hearing about California’s lax enforcement of patient safety laws
Testimony of Elizabeth M. Imholz, Special Projects Director; Consumers Union before California Senate Health Committee; October 20, 2010
- Consumers Union “To Err Is Human, To Delay Is Deadly” Webcast
On November 17, 2009, Consumers Union hosted a forum in Washington DC based on the 10-year anniversary of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) 1999 study on medical harm challenging our health system’s progress on preventing medical harm 10 years later. We released a report earlier in the year on this
Consumers Union News Releases
- Governor Inslee Signs Bill to Strengthen Washington’s Hospital Infection Law
Washington Hospital Association Had Urged the Governor To Veto Key Patient Safety Provision
- Washington Bills Undermine Efforts to Hold Hospitals Accountable For Preventing Hospital Acquired Infections
Washington House & Senate Health Committees Vote to Roll Back Public Reporting of Hospital Infections / Bills Undermine Efforts to Hold Hospitals Accountable For Preventing Hospital Acquired Infections
- Consumers Union Urges Congress to Strengthen Medical Device Oversight
Consumers Union urged Congress today to strengthen the law that governs the approval of medical devices to ensure
- Consumers Union: Public Should Have Full Access to Doctor Database, Including Names of Problem Physicians
Consumer Reports Poll: Almost 9 in 10 Americans Say Public Should Have Access to Information Collected by Feds on Doctors
- CU urges HHS to restore online doctor database
HHS decision to remove online access runs counter to Administration pledge to promote transparency
- Consumers Union Statement on IOM Medical Device Study
The medical device industry lobby has criticized a report on medical device regulation before it was published.
- Consumers Union: IOM Report Urges More Consumer Protection for Medical Devices
The report that found thousands of medical devices are allowed to go on the market without proper testing for safety.
- Governor Gregoire Signs Bill To Create More Transparency When Patients File Complaints Against Health Care Workers
When Patients File Complaints Against Health Care Workers Washington Law Could Serve As A Model For Other States.
- HHS Announces National Campaign to Improve Patient Safety
CONSUMERS UNION SAFE PATIENT PROJECT — NEWS RELEASE Please Note: Consumers Union can connect reporters with patients who have suffered from hospital infections and other medical harm. To find out more, contact Michael McCauley at [email protected] For Immediate Release: Tuesday, April 12, 2011 Contact: Michael McCauley ([email protected]), 415-902-9537 (cell), 415-431-6747,
- WA Bill Would Create More Transparency When Patients File Complaints Against Health Care Workers
Patients who file complaints against doctors and other health care providers would be able to find out more information about their complaints.
Blog Posts
- Art & Patient Safety Awareness: What does Patient Safety Mean to You?
Guest post by Rex Johnson and Yanling Yu, Founders of Washington Advocates for Patient Safety. On August 15, WAPS organized a booth at the Woodinville Festival and Street Fair in Seattle to raise awareness about medical harm. It was a big success!
- Go Team! Advocates Deliver Patient Safety Message in Washington State
Last week, the Safe Patient Project traveled to Washington State to team up with Washington Advocates for Patient Safety to give a voice to the health care crisis of preventable medical harm
- Endangered Patients: WA Consumer Forum Explores Ending Medical Harm
Consumers Union’s Safe Patient Project and Washington Advocates for Patient Safety (WAPS) teamed up to host a patient safety forum at the Seattle Public Library to explore ideas for ending patient harm and what consumers can do to protect themselves from medical errors, hospital infections and failed hip and knee implants. About thirty-five people heard Continue Reading
- Washington Governor Inslee Sides with Consumers on Hospital Infection Bill
Great news! Earlier this week in Washington State, Governor Jay Inslee stood with consumers by signing a bill into law that keeps current reporting on infections associated with hip and knee replacements and cardiac surgeries. The bill also requires hospitals to report on additional types of infections.
- Washington Advocates for Patient Safety participate in Patient Safety Day
Last month on July 25, members of the Washington Advocates for Patient Safety (WAPS) commemorated Patient Safety Day in their home state of Washington by joining several people working on health care issues in the state and giving a voice to patients who have experienced preventable medical harm.
- 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.
- My Tweet to Secretary Sebelius
In 140 characters on Twitter, I asked a serious question about hospital-acquired infections.
- Medicare releases data on hospital readmissions
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced last Thursday that it has added readmission rates for more than 4,000 hospitals across the U.S to its Hospital Compare website. With proper care, most people should not have to go back to the hospital shortly after release. This is a key indicator of quality and varies a lot between hospitals.
- VA officials get probed for using non-sterile instruments on patients
U.S. lawmakers held a hearing a few weeks ago to figure out why VA officials still weren’t following proper procedures for cleaning endoscopes that put more than 11,000 veteran patients at risk.
- Not Another Ten Years
Our new report “To Err is Human – To Delay is Deadly” calls attention to the IOM’s unfulfilled call to action.
News Articles
- Virginia Mason to offer warranties on hip, knee replacements
Source: Modern Healthcare (Friday September 5, 2014)
Seattle’s Virginia Mason hospital “has decided to offer a warranty to privately insured patients on avoidable complications stemming from total joint replacements, making it one of the first hospitals in the nation to do so.”
- That new knee will come with a guarantee: Virginia Mason to offer warranties on joint replacement surgeries
Source: Puget Sound Business Journal (Thursday September 4, 2014)
Puget Sound Business Journal coverage of Virginia Mason’s surgical warranty for hip and knee replacement. Mentions Consumers Union’s campaign for hip and knee warranties.
- Cars, TVs come with warranties: Why not hips and knees?
Source: Seattle Times (Wednesday September 3, 2014)
Seattle Times coverage of Virginia Mason’s surgical warranty for hip and knee replacement. Mentions Consumers Union’s campaign for hip and knee device warranties.
- Virginia Mason Warranty for Hip and Knee Replacement Surgery
Source: Virginia Mason (Thursday September 18, 2014)
Here’s what Virginia Mason’s surgical warranty for hip and knee replacement covers. Note: Virginia Mason’s surgical warranty does not cover complications due to failure of the surgical implant device.
- Virginia Mason to offer warranties on hip, knee replacements
Source: Modern Healthcare (Friday September 5, 2014)
Modern Healthcare coverage of Virginia Mason’s surgical warranty for hip and knee replacements; mentions Consumers Union’s campaign for hip and knee warranties.
- Virginia Mason Introduces Warranty for Hip and Knee Replacement Surgery
Source: Virginia Mason (Thursday September 4, 2014)
Virginia Mason announces a surgical warranty for hip and knee replacements.
- 4 Seattle hospitals could be penalized over patient care
Source: Seattle Times (Sunday June 22, 2014)
Some Puget Sound area hospitals may face penalties under the federal government’s toughest effort yet to crack down on infections and other patient injuries.
- Injured Women Call on Washington Attorney General to Investigate
Source: Voice of the Valley (Monday June 9, 2014)
Washington state mesh injured patients call on WA state’s Attorney General to investigate Johnson and Johnson for harm linked to its mesh implants.
- Most area hospitals receive above average scores in Consumer Reports’ safety analysis
Source: Seattle Pi (Thursday March 27, 2014)
Seattle Pi covers Consumer Reports’ latest release of hospital safety scores, quotes Consumers Union Activist, John James, Ph.D, and CU’s Safe Patient Project Director, Lisa McGiffert.
- Olympia man suing Veterans Administration after he contracted MRSA
Source: The News Tribune (Sunday February 23, 2014)
“I came in with a simple fracture and I came out without a leg.” – Vietnam vet
Research and Reports
- Washington Healthcare-Associated Infection Annual ReportsWashington Healthcare-Associated Infection Program
- Washington Advocates for Patient Safety Additional Comments on WA hospital infection draft report
Source: Washington Advocates for Patient Safety (Friday July 12, 2013)
Washington Advocates for Patient Safety Additional Comments on Draft Report “Healthcare Associated Infections: 2013 Report to the Washington Legislature” by the Washington Department of Health.
- First Do No Harm“Last year there wasn’t a single fatal airline accident in the developed world. So why is the U.S. health care system still accidently killing hundreds of thousands? The answer is a lack of transparency.”
- A Record Year for the Pharmaceutical Lobby in ’07Washington’s largest lobby, the pharmaceutical industry, racked up another banner year on Capitol Hill in 2007, backed by a record $168 million lobbying effort, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis of federal lobbying data.