Paul H. O'Neill, former secretary of the Treasury under President George W. Bush and a former CEO of Alcoa, called on President Barack Obama to mandate daily patient safety event reporting by hospitals in an op-ed in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Mr. O'Neill suggested that in the State of the Union address Feb. 12, President Obama announce a mandate requiring Veterans Affairs and U.S.-based military hospitals to report hospital-acquired infections, patient falls, medication errors and caregiver injuries every 24 hours online. He further suggested the president announce plans to require all U.S. hospitals and nursing homes to report these events daily.
This information would help patients make better-informed decisions about where they seek care and would allow providers to identify and learn from top performers, according to the op-ed.
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Mr. O'Neill suggested that in the State of the Union address Feb. 12, President Obama announce a mandate requiring Veterans Affairs and U.S.-based military hospitals to report hospital-acquired infections, patient falls, medication errors and caregiver injuries every 24 hours online. He further suggested the president announce plans to require all U.S. hospitals and nursing homes to report these events daily.
This information would help patients make better-informed decisions about where they seek care and would allow providers to identify and learn from top performers, according to the op-ed.
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