Have We Made Progress?
October 30, 2009
Posted by chcablogadmin in : Quality
Barbara Spreadbury
A reporter from a national news agency calls to ask for your response to the following: “It has been 10 years since the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published its report entitled ‘To Err is Human.’ What has your organization done to improve quality and safety for the children you serve?” What would you tell the reporter?
The IOM study identified the death rate for medical errors in all U.S. hospitals to be somewhere between 44,000 and 98,000 lives per year. A great deal of debate ensued after the release of the study as to whether the number of lives quoted was accurate. In reality, even if the numbers were reduced to 10% of the estimate that is still too many needless deaths. The financial impact of the level of performance was dramatic as well – $17 to 29 billion per year in hospitals across the country.
So, what would you tell the reporter? In September 2009, attendees at the CHCA Quality and Safety Leaders Forum were asked to respond to the question as if it was posed by family members of patients who had been treated in their hospitals. The vast majority of responses were examples of new processes, policies, and activities that are now in place compared to 10 years ago, such as Rapid Response Team implementation, increased Board engagement in quality and safety, and improved medication reconciliation. Some responses did highlight measurable improvement, such as reduced narcotic adverse drug events, blood stream infections in the PICU, or improved hand washing rates.
It will be difficult to show that major progress has been made in reducing the death rate from medical errors in U.S. hospitals. The reasons cited for lack of substantial reduction in death rate vary from lack of leadership to lack of real solutions. The bottom line: Patients are continuing to die in hospitals from preventable errors and that should not happen.
Is the rate of improvement sufficient for your organization? If you were not a health care leader, would you be satisfied with your response? What should you tell the reporter when you are asked in 2019? What should we do differently now to achieve those results?
add a commentA Fly in the Corner
October 21, 2009
Posted by chcablogadmin in : Healthcare Reform
There are many times when we all wish we could be a fly in the corner and simply observe a debate in which we had nothing at stake. Unfortunately health reform (a.k.a. health payment reduction) is simply not that case. I have spent a lot of time on the Hill in recent years working with HIGPA as head of their Government Relations Committee. I have met with many of the key participants in the health debate and I am consistently impressed with their well-intended efforts in reform, all of which seem to get watered down in the political sausage-making machines.
The pursuit of meaningful health care reform seems to have once again left children on the sideline. The complexity of the bill currently in front of Congress and the radical nature of the changes proposed make it difficult to understand what the system would look like over the next five to ten years. American families seems to be lost in the discussion because Congressional efforts are focused on developing a plan that doesn’t cost the government money.
I wonder today what would happen if Congress put kids first and let that be the guiding force behind health reform?
Your thoughts?
add a commentOne of the Good Guys
October 21, 2009
Posted by chcablogadmin in : Cost Reduction, Group Purchasing, Industry Trends
Consolidation of nearly every segment of health care certainly has been the trend over the last 10 to 15 years. Consolidation of everything from wholesalers to suture providers and vaccine makers has effectively limited market competition in these areas.
In 1990, there were 13 producers of plasma-derived products. In 2009, only five remain. In 2008, the Australian-based CSL attempted to acquire U.S.-based Talecris, which would have combined the second and third largest producers of plasma-derived protein therapies. CHCA worked with the FTC and the other major GPOs in fighting the merger to keep a more competitive blood product market place. We were successful in pointing out that a merger would have substantially reduced the competition for four plasma-derived protein therapies: immune, globulin, albumin, and rho-D and alpha one antitrypsin disease. Your children’s hospitals use these therapies to treat illness such as primary immunodeficiency diseases, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, alpha one antitrypsin disease, Kawasaki’s syndrome, idiopathic thrombocytopenia (ITP), and hemolytic diseases in newborns.
This whole process brings to issue whether the role of the GPOs in consolidating major pieces of business really promotes good competition or sets the stage for this type of oligopoly in other health-related industries. When Premier and Novation control well over 50 percent of hospital purchasing in the United States, one does begin to question whether bigger is better. In this case, the industry rallied together and effectively worked with the FTC. I hope we have the chance to do it again in the future.
add a commentWelcome Michael, president & CEO, Cincinnati
October 5, 2009
Posted by chcablogadmin in : Leadership
Join us in welcoming Michael Fisher the next president and CEO of Cincinnati Children’s! While I’ve never Met Michael, Jim speaks very highly of him and has enjoyed having his insight and advice as a board director. Michael was unanimously recommended by the search committee following an exhaustive review of applicants from the healthcare, academic, business and not-for-profit sectors. Michael starts January 1, so hopefully you’ll have the opportunity to meet him at the Annual Meeting.
add a comment
