Discuss two different ways of measuring hospital errors

What will be an ideal response?

In 2011, Health Affairs published a study using new methods of ranking hospital errors. The study found that almost one out of every three people admitted to a hospital is the subject of a medical mistake—10 times more than expected. In the past, medical errors were measured by voluntary reporting and the Agency for Healthcare Research's indicator. The Health Affairs study identified errors through medical claims data. "Among 795 patient records reviewed, voluntary reporting detected four problems, the Agency for Healthcare Research's quality indicator found thirty-five, and Healthcare Improvement's tool detected 354 events—10 times more than the AHR's method." Medical mistakes include everything from medication errors, to bed sores, to staph infections, to objects left in the body during surgery. In response to this, the Obama Administration announced a "billion-dollar patient safety program…[called the Partnership for Patients Program]…aimed at reducing preventable…errors." The program aims at reducing errors by 40 percent and "preventable" readmissions by 20 percent. According to Department of Health and Human Services, this could save as much as $35 billion. Some of the money will come from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and will fund demonstration projects for 3 years.