News and briefs: Healthcare agency wants to hear from victims of medical harm

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) plans to pilot a patient harm reporting system in 2013. The Office of Inspector General estimates that one in four Medicare patients suffers harm while under a practitioner’s care, reports HealthLeaders Media in a recent article. The goal of the program would be to collect more information on practitioner care and patient safety than most hospitals currently collect.

Fliers would be distributed at hospitals and pharmacies asking patients if they think they were a victim of a medical mistake. Patients who report an incident either over the telephone or through a web portal would be asked a series of confidential questions regarding their healthcare. Providers reported in an incident would be notified so as to be aware of what happened. Nancy Foster, the American Hospital Association vice president for quality and patient safety policy, believes the reporting system could help providers see mistakes they cannot see themselves.

“I think there's the potential for arrogance on the healthcare provider side, to say that patients don't know what they're talking about. Yes they do. They know what it sounds like, looks like, and feels like from their standpoint, and that's the voice we have to hear. It's an amazing source of insight and advantage that we can take advantage of,” says Barbara Balik, senior faculty member of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

AHRQ will monitor the pilot program to determine whether  patients are complaining about things not related to physician care/patient safety, such as bad food, ugly curtains, and a TV remote that does not work.