HHS Launches Partnership for Patients

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and CMS Administrator Donald Berwick, MD, recently announced a new public-private partnership designed to bring together leaders of hospitals, employers, health plans, physicians, nurses, patient advocates, and the State and Federal governments to make hospital care safer, more reliable, and less costly. Called the Partnership for Patients, the campaign has two goals: keep hospital patients from getting injured or sicker, and help reduce the number of readmissions.

One measure is to reduce preventable hospital-acquired conditions by 40% by the end of 2013. The second measure is to reduce hospital re-admissions by 20% by the end of 2013.

HHS hopes that the combined efforts of this partnership could save 60,000 American lives and reduce millions of preventable injuries and complications in patient care over the next three years. HHS also estimates that successful implementation could save as much as $35 billion to the health care system, including up to $10 billion in Medicare savings.

Click here to view a list of resources, including AHRQ patient safety tools and products, being used as part of the campaign.

Click here for more information about Partnership for Patients.