HCR190

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	190
TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2002
STATE OF HAWAII

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HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

requesting a report by the patient safety task force of the healthcare association of hawaii.

 

 

WHEREAS, the Institute of Medicine (Institute) issued a report on medical errors in December 1999 which estimated that up to 98,000 hospitalized Americans die each year as a result of medical errors; and

WHEREAS, although a subsequent study by the VA Center for Practice Management and Outcomes Research found flaws in previous studies and revised the estimate downward to somewhere between 5,000 and 15,000 annual deaths due to errors, this rate is still too high; and

WHEREAS, there has been much effort among health care organizations throughout the country to reduce the incidence of errors; and

WHEREAS, health care organizations are complex, requiring changes in systems, policies, and procedures; and

WHEREAS, a punitive approach in identifying and blaming individuals will not reduce medical errors and may result in errors being kept secret; and

WHEREAS, creating a collaborative atmosphere in which people are willing to discuss problems with the intent of developing solutions will prevent errors in the future; and

WHEREAS, after the Institute issued its report, the Healthcare Association of Hawaii (Association) convened a Patient Safety Task Force (Task Force) consisting of representatives of its member organizations to address the issue of medical errors; and

WHEREAS, the Task Force has been meeting twice a month and has established the following objectives:

(1) Develop a plan for identification, analysis, and evaluation of factors that affect patient safety;

(2) Identify and recommend the utilization of best practices to improve the delivery and quality of health care; and

(3) Promote community awareness through education and advocacy;

and

WHEREAS, the fulfillment of these objectives will result in more efficient models of care, delivered by a more knowledgeable workforce that fully understands the significance of its role in safeguarding patients, reducing medical errors, and improving patient care outcomes; and

WHEREAS, not only are health care organizations interested in patient safety, but the public has justifiably expressed an interest in this subject to individual legislators, and providers would like to inform the public about their efforts to reduce medical errors; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2002, the Senate concurring, that the Task Force of the Association is requested to submit a report of its efforts to reduce medical errors no later than 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2003; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health, President of the Association, and the Chair of the Task Force.

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Patient Safety Task Force Report