Hospitals’ Safety Measure Improvements Prevent 125,000 Deaths, Save $28M
A Department of Health and Human Services report finds that those patient safety efforts also prevented 3.1 million hospital-acquired conditions from 2010 to 2015. In other news, Sutter Medical opens a new urgent care clinic in Folsom.
Modern Healthcare:
Patient Safety Efforts Saved $28 Billion Over Five Years
Efforts to make hospitals safer for patients are paying off, preventing 3.1 million harmful hospital-acquired conditions and the deaths of some 125,000 people, according to an HHS report released Monday. Those improvements saved close to $28 billion in healthcare costs from 2010 through 2015. Healthcare leaders touted this progress as a direct result of policies laid out in the Affordable Care Act, public-private partnerships such as the Partnership for Patients, which launched in 2011, and other quality improvement initiatives to target hospital-acquired conditions. These conditions include infections, falls, pressure ulcers and other adverse outcomes. (Whitman, 12/12)
Sacramento Bee:
Sutter Medical Opens New Urgent Care Clinic In Folsom
People needing quick medical attention now have the option of skipping the emergency room and instead visiting a new Sutter Medical Foundation urgent care clinic in Folsom. The new 3,700-square-foot facility in Folsom Medical Plaza on Bidwell Street offers general medicine now but plans to expand into family medicine, pediatrics, cardiology, obstetrics and gynecology. The outpatient clinic, which is open weeknights, weekends and holidays, has eight exam rooms and a laboratory. The clinic does not take appointments and accepts most major health plans including Medi-Cal. Patients can also pay out of pocket. (Caiola, 12/12)