The road to reform
Posted 4/20/2012
Posted in
BIDMC's lead role in a pilot aimed at trying to reform the medical malpractice system gathered considerable attention this week.
Ken Sands, BIDMC's senior vice president for health care quality, led a team that worked with the Massachusetts Medical Society to design a "Road Map to Reform." BIDMC, BID-Needham and BID-Milton will be among the seven hospitals participating in the trial.
The Boston Globe highlighted the effort in a front page story. That was followed by interviews with Sands on WBUR-FM, NECN and WAMC-FM in Pittsfield, among other outlets.
The program relies on the idea of doctors and hospitals disclosing medical errors, apologizing for them and offering a settlement that would not involve the court -- although patients would retain their legal rights.
A report published earlier this year by the US Department of Health and Human Services found that 80 percent of medical errors are unreported. This program is modeled after a successful process launched at the University of Michigan Hospital that has drastically reduced the number of lawsuits and amount of money spent on medical malpractice premiums.
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