PATIENT SAFETY AND QUALITY

The Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) November 1999 report, To Err is Human, dramatically raised awareness about the prevalence of medical errors in the health care system.  That report and subsequent IOM reports on safety and quality have increased demand for continuous quality improvement in the health care system. Patient safety legislation signed into law in July 2005 is designed to improve quality by providing a blame-free environment where health care providers can work together to prevent medical errors. Additionally, health information technology (HIT), price and quality measures for reporting, and performance initiatives show promise to improve quality.  HIT legislation fell just short of enactment during the 109th Congress; HIT bills passed both houses of Congress but were not merged to become law.  In addition, the “Deficit Reduction Act of 2005” (P.L. 109-171) required HHS to develop a plan to implement a value-based purchasing program for hospitals under Medicare beginning in 2009. President Bush has also been an enthusiastic supporter of performance measures; in August 2006 he issued an executive order mandating greater quality and price transparency by public health care agencies.  With bipartisan support for HIT and quality measures, the 110th Congress is likely to be fertile ground for continued work to improve health quality.