For Immediate Release
June 18, 2009 |
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Alan Mlynek
Office: 202.225.4961
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Levin Introduces Health Care Quality Improvement Legislation |
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HIGH Performance Act Builds on Michigan’s Success Helping Hospitals Adopt Best Practices |
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(Washington D.C.)- Representative Sander Levin introduced the Healthcare Improvements for Generating High Performance (or HIGH Performance) Act today which would establish a network of technical assistance centers to help health care providers implement clinical, managerial, and health care delivery best practices.
“It currently takes 17 years for an established clinical guideline to reach bedside. Patients receive recommended evidence-based therapies only 55% of the time,” said Rep. Levin, senior member on the Ways and Means Committee. “This legislation will give doctors tools they need to bring cutting-edge knowledge and techniques to patients in a fraction of the time it currently takes.”
In early 2004, the hospital-acquired infection rates in Michigan hospitals were higher than the national average, and in some hospitals they were much higher. The Michigan Health and Hospital Association decided to form the Keystone Center for Patient Safety & Quality to help Michigan hospitals implement best practices for preventing infections in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
In the first three months of this initiative, the infection rate in Michigan’s ICUs dropped by 66 percent. Over the course of 18 months, Michigan ICU’s infection rates fell so low that they outperformed 90% of ICUs nationwide.
“Michigan has been a leader in providing technical assistance to its hospitals to implement best practices in health care. As a result of its initiatives, Michigan’s hospitals are now among the highest-performing in the country. For example, Michigan’s hospitals now outperform 90% of hospitals nationwide when it comes to preventing hospital-acquired infections. Over the course of 18 months Michigan hospitals saved $75 million and over 1500 lives by implementing best practices. If we achieved these results nationwide it is estimated that we could save $13 billion over 10 years,” said Rep. Levin.
“The HIGH Performance Act builds on Michigan’s successes to make technical assistance available to doctors and hospitals nationwide to train them in the use of best practices for improving patient outcomes and preventing medical errors,” Rep. Levin concluded.
The Institute of Medicine estimates that up to 98,000 people die every year from medical errors, and up to 100,000 from hospital-acquired infections. More people die from these causes than from AIDS, motor-vehicle wrecks, or breast cancer combined.
Legislation Details
The Center for Health Extension: The Healthcare Improvements for Generating High Performance (or HIGH Performance) Act creates a national network of technical assistance centers that will focus on helping providers implement best practices for clinical treatments and health care delivery. The national coordinating body, called the Center for Health Extension, will facilitate, coordinate, and conduct research into health care delivery best practices that have long been underemphasized.
The legislation also charges Secretary of Health and Human Services with establishing priorities for health care improvement that will inform the activities of the Center and other HHS quality improvement initiatives.
The Center’s Mission: To improve health care quality by assisting health care providers to implement and improve upon clinical, managerial, and health care delivery best practices, and to evaluate progress in improving patient outcomes.
The Center’s Functions:
1. Conduct and synthesize research on best practices for clinical treatments, management, and health care delivery
2. Work directly with hospitals, physicians, and other health care providers to implement best clinical, managerial, and delivery practices
3. Collect data on health care quality improvement resulting from technical assistance activities, including improvement in patient outcomes
4. Analyze and report on the effectiveness of quality improvement activities, including patient outcomes
The Center’s Structure: The Center for Health Extension will have a national headquarters and regional extension centers that will work in the field with health care providers to improve care. It will coordinate with existing federal and private entities working toward health care quality improvement.
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