National Business Group on Health Applauds

WASHINGTON, DC. ñ The National Business Group on Health today applauded President Bush and Congress for passage of patient safety legislation that encourages the voluntary reporting and root cause analysis of avoidable medical errors which, in turn, will ensure that devastating deaths and injuries throughout the US will be sharply reduced. The Business Group, which represents over 240 large employers dedicated to solving the health care costs and quality crisis in the US, fully supports the legislation calling it an important, essential first step toward safer and better quality health care for all Americans.

The legislation, signed into law today by President Bush, authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to certify patient safety organizations that would create a national database of medical errors reported by doctors and other health care providers. The organizations would then analyze the findings and recommend ways to reduce errors. Large employers have been major supporters of improved safety and have been pushing the health industry to address the fact that, conservatively, somewhere between 44,000 and 100,000 people die in the U.S. annually and many more suffer injuries and pain along with longer hospital stays, readmissions and poor quality of life because of avoidable errors.

In applauding passage of the legislation, Helen Darling, president of the Business Group said, ìThis may be one of the most important pieces of legislation Congress has passed in many years in terms of creating the infrastructure and needed protections to save lives, reduce human suffering, and save billions of dollars by not having to repair the damages wrought by avoidable medical mistakes in the health care system. If implemented quickly and aggressively, as Congress intends, this legislation could very significantly change the way the health care system deals with and learns from avoidable medical errors, which will benefit everyone.î

ìThis has long been a priority policy issue for the Business Group and employers. This is a win for patients, health care providers, and all those who want to improve the quality and safety of our health care system,î said Steven Wojcik, vice president, public policy of the Business Group.

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