Emphasizing Patient Safety

In 2005, Governor Daniels issued an executive order requiring the Indiana State Department of Health to develop and implement a medical error reporting system.

The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) began collecting medical error data in 2006 for hospitals, ambulatory outpatient surgical centers, abortion clinics, and birthing centers. In 2007, the information became publicly available through the ISDH website and the various media outlets.

This effort is an important step toward making patient safety issues more transparent to the public. I think of transparency as the “right to know” and we all have a right to know what medical errors are occurring the in the care delivery system.

The medical error reporting system is designed to make the delivery of care processes better. The purpose is corrective and to focus on “How and Why” a medical error occurred, and to implement processes that help assure it will never happen again. It stands to benefit all of us, because any one of us could become a patient at any time.

As part of our commitment of public transparency, EGH had one reportable event in 2009, which is outlined on the following page. We have provided background information regarding the error made and steps we have taken to avoid a future reoccurrence.

For additional information on the Indiana Medical Error Reporting System, please visit the ISDH website.

Gregory W. Lintjer, FACHE

President and Chief Executive Officer

• Public Release of Medical Errors
  Elkhart General participates in the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) Medical Error Reporting Program. This program involves Indiana hospitals reporting specific preventable medical errors to ISDH, which then annually releases all errors in a collective report on their website (www.in.gov/isdh).
• Elkhart General Participates in Five Million Lives Campaign
  Elkhart General has joined the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s 5 Million Lives Campaign, a national campaign to dramatically reduce incidents of medical harm in U.S. hospitals.
• Summary of Reportable Serious Adverse Events
  All Indiana Hospitals are required to report the following events to the Indiana State Department of Health and indicate the corrective action taken. The state will issue annual reports summarizing the events at each hospital.
• EGH Reportable Adverse Events (2009)
  
• EGH Reportable Adverse Events (2008)
  
• EGH Reportable Adverse Events (2007)
  
• EGH Reportable Adverse Events (2006)
  
• National Awards and Recognition
  
• "Safe Medicine" Consumer Newsletter