BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER SAYS IT AIMS TO BE THE FIRST HOSPITAL IN GREATER BOSTON TO END PREVENTABLE MEDICAL ERRORS THAT HURT PATIENTS. C-E-O PAUL LEVY EXPLAINS THE GOAL HE HOPES TO ACHIEVE BY 2012.
You have a right, as a citizen, when you come into a hospital not to be part of a procedure that causes you to spend more time in a hospital or leave disabled to to be killed. Unfortunately, it’s the nature of hospitalization that people are harmed in hospitals and we feel that it is part of our obligation to the community to try to eliminate that harm.
LEVY SAYS BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS WILL PUBLISH RESULTS AS IT GOES AS WELL AS PATIENT SATISFACTION SURVEYS. MOST HOSPITALS IN MASSACHUSETTS HAVE AGREED NOT TO CHARGE PATIENTS OR INSURERS FOR ERRORS. MANY ARE WORKING IN A MORE LIMITED SCOPE THAN BIDMC TO REDUCE RETURN HOSPITALIZATIONS OR HOSPITAL ACQUIRED INFECTIONS. THOSE INFECTIONS ALONE ARE ESTIMATED TO KILL ABOUT 2,000 PATIENTS IN MASSACHUSETTS EVERY YEAR AND LEAD TO MORE THAN 473-MILLION DOLLARS IN UNNECESSARY COSTS.
If only all hospitals in the US would take the same position. As a consumer, and patient advocate I commend Beth Israel for being honest, and working towards eliminating medical errors.
My mohter was set on fire during surgery, and I hope all hospitals around the world look into your surgical fire training programs. If you work in an Operating Room and don’t know about a surgical fire you should not be in the OR. Through the efforts of hospitals such as Beth Israel, and consumers becoming more educated hopefully a decrease in medical errors well take place sooner rather than later.