National Academy of Sciences Report: "To Err Is Human"
The National Academy of Sciences released a study entitled "To Err Is Human," focusing on the occurrence of avoidable medical errors in America. This report was hailed as a major watershed toward the improvement of patient health care and the elimination of preventable injuries and deaths.
According to this report, between 44,000 and 98,000 Americans are killed each year because of medical errors. It emphasizes that the focus must be on fixing the medical systems, not blaming individuals, and recommends that some errors be reported on a mandatory basis, while others be reported on a voluntary, confidential basis. Finally, the report recommends that Congress should extend peer review protection to data related to patient safety that are collected for internal use or shared with others solely for purposes of improving safety and quality.
In response to this report, President Clinton issued an Executive Order requiring that: (1) All 300 health plans insuring federal workers must adopt new safeguards; and (2) agencies that run government health plans explore ways to improve safety. He also created a task force that will report within 60 days on ways to improve patient safety. A full copy of the report can be found on the National Academy's Web site at www.nationalacademies.org. A copy of the press release issued by the White House regarding President Clinton's actions can be found at www.whitehouse.gov.
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