AARP Applauds Assembly for Voting Yes on Three Health CareQuality Bills
By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2007-08-31 11:41:32.097286-04:00
This Spring, Assembly Bill 4327, Public Reporting of Serious Preventable Medical Errors, passed the Assembly Thursday by a vote of 74 to 4. The bill requires public reporting of major preventable medical errors in New Jersey by facility. AARP supports the passage of this legislation.
Two other important bills, A 4328 and A 4179, also passed this Spring on a consensus vote. A 4328 requires public reporting of hospital-acquired infection rates. A 4179 requires that hospitals screen all ICU patients for a common and often deadly infection known as MRSA. The Senate companion bill, S2580 also passed. AARP supports the passage of these infection-related bills.
AARP New Jersey State President Sy Larson commented, "These votes are great victories for all New Jerseyans. In a recent survey, 81% of AARP members in New Jersey said that medical error rates should be made available to the public, and we commend those Assembly members who sponsored the bills for their strong leadership."
"In particular, AARP thanks Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts, Assemblymen Herb Conaway, Paul Moriarty, and Assemblywomen Linda Greenstein and Linda Stender for their support and sponsorship of one or more of these bills."
AARP strongly supports public reporting of preventable medical errors and hospital-acquired infections.
Preventable medical errors (such as misdiagnoses, medication mistakes, and preventable infections) kill as many as 195,000 Americans every year according to a 2004 HealthGrades study. Public reporting increases compliance with the reporting law and will result in safer conditions in our hospitals. Consumers need and have the right to this information so they can make informed health care decisions.
Two million Americans acquire infections at hospitals every year as reported by HealthGrades. These infections are painful and sometimes result in death. AARP believes the public has a right to know which hospitals are doing the most to prevent these infections and stop them from spreading throughout their facility. Public reporting of infections gives hospitals an incentive to maximize infection control measures, and would make New Jersey a leader in the national fight for higher health care quality and cleaner, safer hospitals.
MRSA is an infection that is highly resistant to antibiotic treatment, spreads quickly throughout hospitals, and is often fatal. By identifying ICU patients carrying the infection, the hospital can isolate the carrier and aggressively treat the infection.
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