Hospital-acquired infections, medical errors, and preventable complications would come under closer scrutiny in Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell’s sweeping new proposal to cover the state’s 767,000 uninsured residents while improving healthcare quality and cutting costs.
The initiative would require hospitals to track infections with electronic monitoring systems to prevent underreporting, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. Rendell said extended hospital stays and increased deaths from hospital-acquired infections cost the state $1 billion a year. Under the proposal, the state would stop paying hospitals for treatment resulting from medical errors or preventable complications. Hospitals also would have to offer a primary care option for individuals who come to the emergency department but don’t have urgent health problems. The plan calls for the creation of a system of regional boards to oversee hospital spending to prevent expansions or major equipment purchases that are unnecessary.
Rendell’s plan comes on the heels of a similar proposal from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to cover California’s uninsured. Massachusetts, Maine, and Vermont have similar plans. Rendell wants the state legislature to approve his plan by June 30 so it can take effect in January 2008.
