Hospitals responding to survey do more to avoid errors.

A new survey finds that more hospitals across the state are implementing practices to reduce avoidable errors that can injure and even kill patients.

There's just one problem: close to half of all hospitals were not willing to participate in the survey.

"Hospitals that participated really deserve double credit for not only improving safety procedures but for being willing to have the spotlight shown on them," said Peter Lee, chief executive of the Pacific Business Goup, a consortium of large California employers, which prepared the study with the Leapfrog Group, another employer consortium. "Sadly a large percentage of hospitals are not willing to step up and be counted."

The survey, which was completed by 59 percent of state hospitals, does not rate individual hospitals against each other but rather measures their compliance with 30 safety practices endorsed by the National Quality Forum, a separate group establishing nationwide hospital standards.

The survey found, for example, that 89 percent of hospitals have implemented procedures to cut down on wrong-site surgeries and 75 percent have policies to reduce infections.

Among the hospitals locally that completed the survey and tallied well are Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Glendale Adventist Medical Center and Long Beach Memorial Medical Center.

All told, 48 of the 101 Los Angeles County surveyed participated.

Jim Lott, executive vice president of the Healthcare Association of Southern California, a hospital trade group, defended the industry's response, saying it was overwhelmed with surveys and is working with the California Healthcare Foundation to develop a single survey for all state hospitals.

"All we want is something simple and useful and meaningful," he said.

Lee said that if hospitals do not start to report safety data voluntarily they would likely face a government mandate to do so.

Attack Ad

The California Nurses Association has gone on the attack against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger with a hardball radio spot that criticizes his recent moves to relax the state's landmark nurse-ratio law.

The ad accuses Schwarzenegger of caving into "special interests" and "big hospital corporations" and putting patients' lives at risk. It ends with an exhortation for the governor not to "play politics with our patient safety" as a heart monitor flatlines in the background.

The one-week ad campaign played in the Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego markets last week, costing the association $100,000.

CNA spokesman Chuck Idelson said the campaign is designed to inform the public about the governor's move while also putting political pressure on the governor, whom the association fears may be open to completely scuttling the law.

"It's part of a broader effort to send a message to the governor that California nurses and patients will not stand by and accept the reversal of this desperately needed patient safety law," Idelson said.

The governor's action delayed further tightening of the ratios for three years, while relaxing those governing breaks and emergency rooms.

A spokesman for the governor referred the matter to the state Department of Health Services press office, which did not return calls.

Cool Insurance?

It's hard to imagine that any insurance could be gussied up to have a cool image, much less one that is aimed at Gen Y-ers.

But that's what Blue Cross of California has attempted to do with its latest product for so-called "young invincibles"--adults ages 19 to 29 who are just starting out on their careers and generally do not have insurance.

It's a huge market of 1.6 million people that the unit of WellPoint Health Networks Inc. wants to better tap into with products that are low cost and have high deductibles. This reflects the fact that generally young people rarely go to the doctor but want protection against serious accidents and injuries.

The product is named Tonik, which is supposed to elicit allusions to a tonic but with an odd Gen Y spelling. Then there are the titles of its options: "thrill-seeker," "part-time daredevil" and "calculated risk taker."

The company is also using so-called "guerrilla" marketing techniques to advertise the product, including ads on Web sites and sponsorship of the latest film by Warren Miller, famous for filming extreme skiing.

"It's performing very well. Since we launched Nov. 15 we have exceeded our expectations," said Sherry Jansen, a business development consultant for Blue Cross.

Staff reporter Laurence Darmiento can be reached at [phone], ext. 237, or at [e-mail].