Hospital highlights: Medical Error Data Now Online

Information about medical errors and adverse events that occur in Washington hospitals and healthcare facilities is now available online. Under state law, hospitals are required to report 28 types of errors that are considered serious reportable events. This information is tracked by the state health department to improve patient safety. The new report lists the number events by hospital.

From June 2006 through March 2010, there were 780 adverse events reported. Of these events, 402 were serious pressure ulcers that developed during hospitalization. There were also 228 surgical events, 75 falls with injury, and 20 serious medication errors.

There were no adverse events for WHMC. This raw data is not intended to pass judgment on a hospital, but is a way to help improve care. The new web site:

http://www.doh.wa.gov/hsqa/adverseevents.

Since July 2009 health care facilities have been asked to respond to a check-in survey.

The survey was developed jointly with the Washington State Hospital Association and the Patient Safety Adverse Event Advisory Committee.

It reminds hospitals and other facilities of the adverse event reporting requirement.

The agency sends facilities a quarterly online survey that prompts them to respond even if there were no confirmed adverse events in the previous quarter.

The most recent survey had response rates of 100 percent (93) hospitals, 100 percent (3) psychiatric hospitals, 100 percent (12) child birth centers, 100 percent (7) correctional medical facilities, and 80 percent (161) ambulatory surgery facilities.

At WHMC, patient safety is our priority. We embrace information transparency to help improve quality. We fully participate in this initiative and many other similar efforts. We look forward to more meaningful comparative data as they are developed.

David E. Womack, CEO

Whitman Hospital & Medical Center