In a speech to the Center for Health Transformation on Sept. 18, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced that hospitals in Minnesota will not bill insurance companies and others for any of the 27 types of reported “adverse health events.” The plan, created by the Minnesota Hospital Association and the Minnesota Council of Health Plans, ensures that patients will not have to pay for care made necessary by such events as wrong-site surgeries, serious medication errors, and sponges or other objects left behind in a patient after surgery, to name a few.
In 2006, Minnesota facilities reported adverse health events occurring 154 times out of more than 8 million patient visits. Minnesota hospitals have utilized this information to share best practices and improve health care quality. For example, the Minnesota Hospital Association launched two campaigns this year to address pressure ulcers and patient falls. Read the press release.
