Hospitals continue to show great hesitancy and resistance over the issue of public reporting of hospital errors, while consumer advocates say greater transparency is needed for accountability and improved patient safety, according to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch news report.
Michael Dunaway, vice president of the St. Louis Metropolitan Hospital Council, wrote in a letter to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that public reporting fosters a culture of blame and punishment rather than analysis and improvement behind closed doors, according to the report. The sentiment is strongly shared: More than 30 hospitals co-signed Mr. Dunaway's letter. Missouri is one of just a few states that don't track and publicly report serious hospital errors.
Although there is no evidence indicating whether public reporting impacts medical errors, many say public reporting and transparency help keep patients safe and better informed, according to the report.
Read the news report about public reporting.
Read other coverage about public reporting:
- NQF Endorses More Outcome Measures for Intensive Care
- CMS Launches First Phase of Physician Compare Website
- Hospitals to Begin Reporting Bloodstream Infections
Michael Dunaway, vice president of the St. Louis Metropolitan Hospital Council, wrote in a letter to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that public reporting fosters a culture of blame and punishment rather than analysis and improvement behind closed doors, according to the report. The sentiment is strongly shared: More than 30 hospitals co-signed Mr. Dunaway's letter. Missouri is one of just a few states that don't track and publicly report serious hospital errors.
Although there is no evidence indicating whether public reporting impacts medical errors, many say public reporting and transparency help keep patients safe and better informed, according to the report.
Read the news report about public reporting.
Read other coverage about public reporting:
- NQF Endorses More Outcome Measures for Intensive Care
- CMS Launches First Phase of Physician Compare Website
- Hospitals to Begin Reporting Bloodstream Infections