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IHI enlists healthcare organizations for patient safety initiative

Ambulatory Surgery Reimbursement Update, December 21, 2004

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement, (IHI) aided by organizations such as the American Medical Association and CMS, has launched an effort to get 1,600 hospitals and healthcare providers active in attempts to reduce avoidable medical errors and preserve patient safety.

According to information at www.ihi.org, the IHI has launched the "100,000 Lives" campaign, which asks hospitals and healthcare professionals to commit to the implementation of changes in one or more of six categories defined by the IHI as key factors that lead to avoidable patient deaths. The IHI believes that working on these six categories can result in the prevention of some 100,000 unnecessary deaths over the 18-month duration of the program.

The categories include some specifically hospital-intensive concerns such as the deployment of rapid response teams and the delivery of reliable, evidence-based care for acute myocardial infarction, but also some surgical issues that are applicable to ASCs, such as preventing surgical site infections and adverse drug effects.

Throughout the course of the initiative, participating organizations will be asked to make changes to their facility's policies, and offer regular reports on the success or failure of these changes to the IHI. Those interested in being participants in the project are asked to sign up at the IHI Web site.

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