Preventing Medical Mistakes is Focus of New Research-based Decision Tools for Purchasers and Providers

10/24/2002

From: Hollis Hope or Kari Root of Academy Health, 202-292-6700

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 -- AcademyHealth has released a new series of web-based decision tools that summarize the effectiveness of the three patient safety measures promoted by the Leapfrog Group. They are now available on AcademyHealth's Web site at http://www.academyhealth.org/resources/syntheses/main.htm.

"We are pleased to release these new products, which present in plain language findings from the very best research on these potentially life-saving initiatives," says Anne K. Gauthier, AcademyHealth vice president. "A mission-critical task of AcademyHealth is to synthesize, translate and disseminate the results of health services research and other information to public and private decision-makers. These tools represent an important step toward achieving that goal."

The three decision tools offer best practices, useful links, key experts, and other tips that guide purchasers, providers, and policymakers toward actionable steps to reduce preventable medical mistakes. Experts from Dartmouth Medical School estimate that these specific improvements would save 58,300 lives and prevent 522,000 medication errors each year.

These tools synthesize critical research findings on computer physician order entry (CPOE) systems, evidence-based hospital referral, and intensive care unit (ICU) physician staffing.

Computer Physician Order Entry (CPOE) Systems: CPOE systems enable physicians to enter medication orders via computer linked to prescribing error prevention software. Research indicates that CPOE can reduce serious prescribing errors in hospitals by more than 50 percent. In 1999, the Institute of Medicine reported that up to 98,000 Americans die each year in hospitals from preventable medical mistakes. According to Leapfrog, more than one million serious medication errors occur annually in U.S. hospitals.

Evidence-based Hospital Referral: For certain complex medical procedures, the choice of hospital can mean the difference between life and death. Evidence shows that the more experience a surgeon and hospital staff have performing a procedure, the more likely patient care will be without error. Therefore, Leapfrog advocates the use of evidence-based hospital referrals when choosing hospitals.

Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Physician Staffing: Mortality rates among ICU patients average between 10 to 20 percent. Evidence suggests that quality of care in ICUs varies widely from hospital to hospital. Significant reductions have been achieved in inpatient hospital mortality (ranging from a 2 percent to a 17 percent reduction in risk) when patient care is managed by a certified "intensivist," a person skilled in critical care.

"Over 100 major employers, ranging from General Motors to Yahoo!, are calling on hospitals throughout the country to improve patient safety," says Jason S. Lee, PhD, AcademyHealth Senior Researcher/Manager and author of these new tools. "As hospital administrators weigh whether or not to adopt certain patient safety measures, we want to make sure they have access to the very best analysis and data to inform their decisions."

The three patient safety improvement decision tools were developed with support from the National Health Care Purchasing Institute. The Institute is an initiative of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to improve quality.

For more information on these three patient safety decision tools, contact Jason Lee at Jason.Lee@academyhealth.org or 202-292-6700.

------ AcademyHealth (http://www.academyhealth.org) is the national program office for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's National Health Care Purchasing Institute (http://www.nhcpi.net). The Institute was created to improve health care quality by advancing the purchasing practices of major corporations and governmental agencies, particularly Fortune 500 companies, Medicare, and public employers. The Institute's sponsorship of these safety decision tools supports AcademyHealth's research synthesis role.

The Leapfrog Group (http://www.leapfroggroup.org) is a coalition of more than 100 public and private organizations that provide health care benefits. Leapfrog aims to reduce the yearly death toll from preventable medical mistakes by helping employers bring about improvements in patient safety and by empowering consumers to make more informed hospital choices.