Health stories in the news – Aug. 17th

McDermott wants to make reporting of medical errors mandatory

Hearst newsgathers Eric Nalder and Cathleen Crowley report in the SeattlePI.com that U.S. Representatives Jim McDermott wants mandatory national reporting of medical errors.

Nalder and Crowley’s story covers the reaction to a Hearst investigative series Dead by Mistake.

The SeattlePI.com newsgathers were part of an investigative team of seven Hearst newspapers as well as Hearst Television staff that has found that little progress has been in reducing medical errors in U.S. hospitals, errors that are thought to take 200,000 lives a year.

Although Washington state requires hospitals to report preventable medical errors, for example, the requirement is not being enforced and the state has failed to provide funds to analyze the reports that do come in, the investigation found.

To learn more:

• Read Nalder and Crowley article: McDermott calls for mandatory reporting of medical errors.
• Read the original series: Dead by Mistake.

Who’s behind the opposition

An article by Margaret Talev of McClatchy Newspapers appears in today’s Seattle Times that profiles some of the organizations behind the opposition to President Obama’s drive to reform the U.S. health-care system.

Talev writes;

Most of them say they oppose big government in principle. Despite Obama’s assurances to the contrary, many of them insist the Democrats’ legislation is but the first step toward creation of a single-payer system where the federal government hires the doctors, approves treatments, sets the rules and imperils profit.

Talev profiles:

• Conservatives for Patients’ Rights: www.cprights.org
• FreedomWorks: www.freedomworks.org
• Patients First: www.joinpatientsfirst.com
• Patients United Now: www.patientsunitednow.com
• Americans for Prosperity: www.americansforprosperity.org
• Club for Growth: www.clubforgrowth.org
• 60 Plus Association: www.60plus.org

To learn more:

• Read Talev’s article: Who’s behind the fight against health-care change.
• Read Jordan Rau’s fact-check article on the Club of Growth’s advertisements.

Seattle Times decries loss of “sensible” end-of-life counseling proposal

In its editorial today the Seattle Times laments the decision by legislators to remove provisions in health-care reform proposals under consideration in Washington, D.C. that would have allowed doctors to be reimbursed for the time they spent talking to patients about what kind of care they wanted at the end of their lives.

Only about one in three Americans has a living will, which provides health providers with such guidance.

Supporters hoped the provision would encourage doctors to take time to talk to their patients about end-of-life issues, but opponents of health-care reform have portrayed the provision as part of a plan to institute “death panels” that would promote euthanasia of the elderly and disabled.

“Sometimes, hysteria wins. What a shame for those who may not have access to information that would aid them in making excruciatingly painful decisions,” the Seattle Times editors conclude.

To learn more:

• Read the Seattle Times editorial: Health-care reform: Distortions doom end-of-life counseling.
• Read Kate Steadman’s article: What the House Bill Says About End-of-life Care.
• Read NPR’s Julie Rovner’s article: Kill Grandma? Debunking a Health Bill Scare Tactic.
• Read Dr. Carolyn Clancy’s column: Talking about End-of-life Treatment.

Tags: End-of-Life Care, Health Insurance, Health Policy, Health-care Reform, Insurance, Medical Errors, Quality Improvement

Category: End-of-Life Care, Health Insurance, Health-care Policy, Healthcare Reform, Hospital News, Insurance