Reporting Patient-Safety Incidents

According to a new report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), only 14 percent of the patient-safety incidents experienced by Medicare beneficiaries were reported in October 2008.

The remaining 86 percent failed to be reported due to the partial fact that staff does not understand what can constitute as patient harm.

The 189 hospitals that were reviewed use incident reporting systems to help identify and track patient safety incidents. However, workers and administrators admitted to supplying incomplete data about how often these problems occur.

Since the report, the OIG has suggested that the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services should work closely together to improve the efficiency of the incident reporting systems.

Snyder and Wenner, P.C.
602-224-0005

Source: FierceHealthcare