Almost one in seven or 13.5 percent of Medicare patients encounter an adverse event, with another 13.5 percent experiencing temporary harm, according to a report from the HHS Office of Inspector General.
Healthcare-associated adverse and temporary harm events cost an estimated 3.5 percent of Medicare expenditures for inpatient care in Oct. 2008. HHS also reported 44 percent of adverse and temporary harm events were likely preventable.
The Inspector General recommended the following:
• AHRQ and CMS should widen patient safety efforts to include all types of adverse events.
• AHRQ and CMS should enhance efforts to identify adverse events.
• AHRQ should sponsor periodic, ongoing measurement of the incidence of adverse events.
• AHRQ should continue to encourage hospital participation with Patient Safety Organizations.
• CMS should use Present on Admission Indicators in billing data to calculate the frequency of adverse events occurring within hospitals.
• CMS should provide further incentives for hospitals to reduce the incidence of adverse events through its payment and oversight functions.
• CMS should expand policies to include more events that harm beneficiaries.
• CMS should hold hospitals accountable for adoption of evidence-based practice guidelines.
Read the HHS Office of Inspector General's report on adverse events (pdf).
Read more coverage on adverse events.
- AHRQ Publishes Common Formats for Adverse Event Reporting on Health Information Technology
- Training OR Staff in Teamwork Markedly Reduces Mortality Rates
- Adverse Events at Minnesota Hospitals Fell Slightly in 2009
Healthcare-associated adverse and temporary harm events cost an estimated 3.5 percent of Medicare expenditures for inpatient care in Oct. 2008. HHS also reported 44 percent of adverse and temporary harm events were likely preventable.
The Inspector General recommended the following:
• AHRQ and CMS should widen patient safety efforts to include all types of adverse events.
• AHRQ and CMS should enhance efforts to identify adverse events.
• AHRQ should sponsor periodic, ongoing measurement of the incidence of adverse events.
• AHRQ should continue to encourage hospital participation with Patient Safety Organizations.
• CMS should use Present on Admission Indicators in billing data to calculate the frequency of adverse events occurring within hospitals.
• CMS should provide further incentives for hospitals to reduce the incidence of adverse events through its payment and oversight functions.
• CMS should expand policies to include more events that harm beneficiaries.
• CMS should hold hospitals accountable for adoption of evidence-based practice guidelines.
Read the HHS Office of Inspector General's report on adverse events (pdf).
Read more coverage on adverse events.
- AHRQ Publishes Common Formats for Adverse Event Reporting on Health Information Technology
- Training OR Staff in Teamwork Markedly Reduces Mortality Rates
- Adverse Events at Minnesota Hospitals Fell Slightly in 2009