NEW! 2009 Indiana Medical Error Reporting System The Indiana State Department of Health has released the 2009 Medical Error Report. The total number of reported events from all sites was 94 compared to 105 reported in 2008 and 2007. There was a meaningful decrease in the number of reported stage 3 or 4 pressure ulcers from 33 to 22. ISDH says the drop could be linked to the Indiana Pressure Ulcer Initiatives that started in June of ‘08 and will run through Sept. 2010. Other highlights from the 2009 report include: • Of the 94 reported events, 89 occurred at hospitals and 5 occurred at ambulatory surgery centers; • 29 of the 94 reported events were retention of a foreign object in a patient after surgery; • 22 events were stage 3 or 4 pressure ulcers acquired after admission to the facility; and • 17 events of surgery were performed on the wrong body part. INMERS Background Indiana law requires hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers to report 28 serious adverse events to the Indiana State Department of Health. The reporting system is known as the Indiana Medical Error Reporting System (INMERS). Once a hospital’s quality assessment and improvement program determines a serious adverse event has taken place, it must be reported to the state within 15 days. The data elements that are reported include the name of the hospital, the type of event, and the quarter of the year it occurred. The ISDH must maintain a record of all events reported and make that information public at least once a year.
Indiana Patient Safety Center Stakeholder Tips and ResourcesSheets Five Steps to Safer Health Care Caregivers' Creed- Together We Heal Patients, Consumers, and Families Business Leaders and Manufacturers Health Care Leaders and Caregivers
County Health Rankings The report, released by the University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, ranks the overall health of every county in each state. Consumer Brochures From the Joint Commission Speak Up: Help Prevent Errors in Your Care Four things You Can Do to Prevent Infection Tips to Prevent Medication Mistakes Medical Test Mistakes
Consumer & Patient Information - Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Web site provides practical health care information, research findings, and data to help consumers, health providers, health insurers, researchers, and policymakers make informed decisions about health care issues. Consumers can find information on the following topics:
AHRQ Guides for Patients and Consumers Consumer guides provide useful background on health conditions. The guides on medications also contain basic wholesale price information.
Medically Induced Trauma Support Services (MITSS) The MITSS mission is to support healing and restore hope to patients, families, and clinicians who have been affected by an adverse medical event.
Institute for Healthcare Improvement The Institute for Healthcare Improvement is a not-for-profit organization leading improvement of health care throughout the world. Located in Cambridge, Mass., the IHI offers comprehensive programs that improve the lives of patients, the health of communities, and the joy of the health care workforce. The Indiana Patient Safety Center is a "node" or hub for IHI activities.
National Patient Safety Foundation
To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System This report issued by the Institute of Medicine in 1999 claimed that medical errors kill between 44,000 and 98,000 people each year in the U.S. The IOM report recommended the creation of external reporting systems to identify and learn from errors to prevent future occurrences.
Crossing the Quality Chasm a New Health System for the 21st Century
Background on Serious Adverse Event Reporting in Indiana This IHA document provides a simple explanation of serious adverse event reporting in Indiana.
CAPS: Consumers Advancing Patient Safety
The Josie King Foundation
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