Some commentators are advancing apology programs as one step among many in reforming the current health-care system. The latest issue of Business Week magazine (11/23/09, p. 39) offers ten steps to fix the current health-care system. Step number ten is, Apologize to the Patient. It cites the Sorry Works! Coalition which was started in 2005 and designed to allow hospitals to admit mistakes to patients and their families. As soon as hospitals learn of a mistake, they inform the patient, investigate the causes, and recommend changes in procedure. If the healthcare provider deviated from the standard of care, the hospital offers a settlement.
The article states that the University of Michigan Health System adopted the policy eight years ago and reports that medical malpractice claims dropped by 50% by 2006. It also cites the University of Illinois Medical Center in Chicago instituting an apology program in 2006 and enjoying a 40% decline in medical malpractice claims in the face of a 20% jump in clinical activity.
While the debate rages over medical malpractice tort reform and whether that should or should not have a role in the health-care plan forthcoming, there are steps that healthcare institutions can take and experiment with that may reduce liability costs. The recurring caveat here is to coordinate the rollout and implementation of such a plan with one’s own liability insurance carrier to avoid coverage problems!
December 11, 2009 at 6:13 pm |
Here’s an interesting article on how Canadian provinces are enacting apology legislation:
http://legalblogwatch.typepad.com/legal_blog_watch/2009/12/apology-act-makes-im-sorry-a-dispute-resolution-tool.html