Database would ease doctors' paperwork on patient safety

The Bush administration wants to establish an online site to streamline collection of patient safety data and to improve quality of care.

By Damon Adams, AMNews staff. May 14, 2001.

An Internet-based database proposed by the Bush administration could reduce work for physicians filing reports on patient safety and create a central site for information on medical errors, best practices and other safety-related issues.

U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced in April the formation of a patient safety task force, which the administration hopes will improve existing reporting and data collection and boost patient safety.

"We can make much better use of the information we already collect, and we can translate that information into quality gains for patients," Thompson said in a statement. "At the same time, we will streamline the reporting burdens ... and we will make important findings more accessible, more quickly to the [physicians] who need to know."

Federal agencies leading the task force include: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration and Health Care Financing Administration.

The FDA, CDC and HCFA currently operate reporting systems to monitor adverse events, compliance with drug and medical device regulations and the safety of patients in Medicare-funded institutions.

Integrating these systems into one Internet-based database would create a user-friendly system with many benefits, Thompson said.

"This new format will enhance the value of the reporting system that already exists within HHS by allowing for faster cross-matching and electronic analysis of data. We then will be able to respond more quickly to patient safety problems and learn to prevent medical errors in the first place," Thompson said in unveiling the task force at the National Summit on Patient Safety Data Collection and Use in Reston, Va. [...]