ADVISORY/Experts Available To Discuss Medical Errors Bill and Patient Safety.

Business Editors

ADVISORY...

--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 14, 2002

TOPIC: Last month, in a 33-4 vote, the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee approved a bill that would create a voluntary reporting system to detect and prevent medical errors, according to an article by Reuters Health. The bill would call for the development of "patient safety organizations" to receive the error reports and make recommendations on medical error prevention. The bill is expected to be approved by the House and Senate by the end of the year. Experts are scheduled to address these and other patient safety issues on Oct. 14 through Oct. 16 at the Partnership Symposium 2002 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. Led by convening partners the Partnership for Patient Safety (p4ps), Premier, Inc., VHA Inc. and the VHA Health Foundation, the conference opens Monday evening with a provocative evening keynote by one of the world's leading experts on patient safety, Lucian L. Leape, MD, of Harvard, who will outline a new model for "reciprocal accountability." The Symposium closes Wednesday with a keynote by Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations President Dennis O'Leary, MD, who will discuss new JCAHO patient safety goals and present the business case for patient safety. EXPERTS: ExpertSource can offer several highly qualified experts to comment on this story: -0-


John B. Grotting-an expert on medication and blood transfusion errors,
and other patient safety topics-is president and CEO of Bridge
Medical, Inc., a patient safety IT company based in southern
California. Grotting's 28 years of healthcare leadership experience
includes executive experience at the $2.6-billion Allina Hospitals &
Clinics in Minneapolis, Minn. He and Bridge are known throughout the
industry for such award-winning efforts as Bridge's MedPoint patient
safety system and the "Beyond Blame" documentary which first drew
attention to the problem of medication errors. One of the founders of
the new National Alliance for Health Information Technology's,
Grotting has been a national media spokesperson for NAHIT, whose first
initiative is barcoding of medications. Grotting's former colleague at
Allina, Gordon Sprenger-a senior Bridge board member-will be one of
the award-winning safety experts sharing their expertise on safety at
the p4ps Conference in Washington this week. A number of veteran
Bridge MedPoint customers will also speak on the benefits of barcode
technology.
PR: Carol B. Somer
[e-mail],
858-314-5538 or cell-703-593-5786

Bridge Senior Clinical Consultant Mary Michael Brown, RN, MS, helps
U.S. hospitals analyze medication error data to improve quality and
reduce cost. The AACN Excellence in Management award-winner has
particular expertise on the human and financial costs of medication
and blood transfusion errors, as well as how patient safety issues
affect the current nursing shortage. Brown's 20-plus years of clinical
and consulting experience includes cardiac surgical intensive care
management experience at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington,
D.C., and teaching experience at several leading nursing schools. She
has presented studies of patient safety and quality improvement at
conferences and seminars around the country for decades. Her numerous
peer-reviewed journal articles and textbook chapters include an
article on medication errors in Critical Care Nursing Quarterly. Brown
will be demonstrating the benefits of Bridge's MedPoint barcode
technology safety at the p4ps Conference in Washington this week. In
addition to preventing medication and other medical errors, MedPoint
helps hospitals record and analyze "near misses" and improve processes
to prevent future errors.
PR: Carol Somer
[e-mail],
858-314-5538 or cell-703-593-5786

Dr. Nancy J. Wilson is a vice president of VHA Inc.'s Clinical Affairs
division and is responsible for the design and development patient
safety-related products and services that VHA offers member hospitals.
Before joining VHA, Wilson was responsible for assuring quality of
patient care for the Veterans Administration Hospitals, the nation's
largest integrated health care system. Wilson began her career as a
psychiatric nurse at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinical
where she held a variety of clinical and administrative positions.
Wilson received her undergraduate degree form the University of
Pittsburgh and M.D. from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She is also
a fellow of the General Medicine/Health Service at Harvard Medical
School where she received an M.P.H. Wilson is a member of several
professional societies including the Society of General Internal
Medicine, the American College of Physicians, American College of
Physician Executives and the American Public Health Association.
PR: To reach Dr. Wilson, contact Lynn Gentry,
972/830-0798

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