SAVE
THE PATIENTSM NEWSLETTER
“The Life You Save Could Be Your
Own”
|
SAVE
THE PATIENTSM NEWSLETTER |
Winter 2005 |
Save The Patient received $15,000 on Oct. 7, 2005 , as the first installment of a three year grant made by The CHEST Foundation. Darchelle Garner, Vice President Project Development of The CHEST Foundation, attended the meeting of the STP Board of Directors to present the grant award. The CHEST Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the American College of Chest Physicians, a 15,500-member international medical specialty society.
STP Board President Lenore Janecek stated the grant emphasizes the growing awareness and importance that the medical profession is now placing on patient education and health literacy. “The partnership” she shared, “will allow STP to reach a new segment of the patient population., We are grateful to the CHEST Foundation for its commitment to improving health care to the public, and its recognition of STP as a contributing partner in this process.”
Two projects are under discussion as part of the grant. The first includes translating the Health Carrying Cards into the seven versions of the Indian language. The Health Caring Card Curriculum guide and cards would be distributed in India and people of Indian origin in the U.S. The Health Carrying Card could be distributed to over 100,000 people in India alone.
The second project addresses the need to improve communication in health care. Finalization for the project is awaiting further funding initiatives.
Under new legislation Illinois hospitals and surgery centers will have to publicly admit if they commit any serious mistakes. After each event the hospital or surgery center must analyze the cause and take corrective action. The names of patients and health care worker will remain confidential. The law takes effect January 1, 2008 .
The mistakes are called “Never Events” described as events that should never occur but happen all too often. There are 24 Never Events identified in the legislation. These events include:
Illinois is the fourth state to pass a never events law. Minnesota was the first. The Chicago Sun Times reports that in the initial 15 month reporting period, there were 99 never events recorded at 30 hospitals in Minnesota resulting in 20 deaths and four serious disabilities.
The Never Event reports are submitted to the Illinois Department of Health which will compile the data into an annual report. The legislation also calls for the formation of a 9 person Health Care Event Reporting Advisory Committee appointed by the Department.
The first report of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) project Redesigning Health Insurance Performance Measures, Payment, and Performance Improvement Project was released in early December, 2005. The report entitled “Performance Measurement: Accelerating Improvement” focuses on the development of a national performance measurement and reporting system to support the quality improvement efforts of a diverse set of stakeholders that work under contract with Medicare.
The national performance measurement and reporting system would be the responsibility of a new independent board, the National Quality Coordination Board (NQCB), set up to ensure creation of the national system. The project recommends that the NQCB have seven key functions:
The report warns that failure to establish a well functioning national performance measurement and reporting system will severely compromise the effort to achieve quality improvements in health care and provide high quality, patient centered care consistently and efficiently to all Americans. The full report can be viewed and purchased on the IOM website.
The report is the work of a committee empanelled by the IOM to carry out a congressional mandate under the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Improvement Act of 2003. The committee is charged with producing three reports which collectively will be known as the Pathways to Quality Health Care series.
Future reports, to be release in 2006 will address the payment incentive strategies that incorporate performance measures and offer an evaluation of the Quality Improvement Organizations that work under contracts with Medicare.
The Japanese version of the STP Health Carrying Cards is expected to be available for distribution in the first quarter of 2006. The cards are being translated under the direction of Ken Taneda, Director of the National Institute of Heath in Japan .
The Japanese language version will be made available for distribution in Japan through the National Institute of Health and made available in the U.S. through the website.
The U.S. Copyright Office has registered copyrights of the Health Carrying Cards in English, Spanish, Polish, and Chinese. The copyrights will be in force for 95 years. STP Health Carrying Card Committee Chair Nancy Cross said, “We want to thank Marilyn Chimes of Jenner & Block for her assistance in securing the copyrights for the Health Carrying Cards. We want to ensure that the message of the Health Carrying Cards is safe and secure for all future users.”
STP President Lenore Janecek presented to the Leadership America Class of 2005 as part of their session entitled “Future of Medicine and American Health Care: Promise and Perils across the Changing Face of America”. The session was held September 19, 2005 , at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago .
The presentation told the story of the founding of Save the Patient and the support of Leadership America in its formation. Leadership America Inc. is a national, not-for-profit leadership organization that recognizes, educates, and connects accomplished and diverse women to increase their individual and collective impact globally.
Other presenters at the Leadership America program were Tommy Thompson, former Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Larry J. Goodman, MD, President and CEO of Rush University Medical Center.
A blanket of new fallen snow can be lovely to look at, but a winter storm can also bring life threatening risks. With the winter season upon us it is a good idea to plan ahead and prepare for a storm before it hits to keep your family safe and warm.
The Center for Disease Control provides the following checklists for house and car.
House checklist:
Car Checklist
If you do have to travel outside in a storm remember to dress warmly with loose fitting layered clothes. Outer garments should be water repellent. Drink water and other fluids to avoid dehydration.
If you become trapped in your car the CDC advises:
The mission of Save the Patient is to educate and empower patients and the public to make effective and informed health care decisions through objective resources. We are accomplishing our goal by providing information through Patient Advocacy, Community Outreach, Educational seminars, the Internet, and our Health Carrying Cards. We have distributed over 3,000 of the Health Carrying Cards, which are available in Spanish, Polish, English, and Chinese. Over 5,000 people have visited our website.
Save the Patient is a non-profit, exempt 501c(3) organization dedicated to the support and education of individuals on health care matters. We need your support to underwrite our programs and educational efforts. Make a donation by visiting our website at savethepatient.org or writing us at Save the Patient, 260 E. Chestnut St. #1712 , Chicago , IL 60611 or call 312-440-0630. Contributions to Save the Patient are eligible for federal income tax deduction.