A bipartisan group of senators has introduced legislation intended to reduce medical mistakes. The bill would require hospitals and other facilities that receive Medicare and Medicaid funds to participate in a mandatory reporting system. The measure also extends peer review protections to error reports. Institutions demonstrating "a pattern of poor performance" continuing for more than two years would be disclosed to the public.
The bill stipulates the accrediting organization, Medicare peer review organizations and state health departments would all receive copies of error reports, but hospitals would have a choice about which entity "signs off" on them. The bill would also require hospitals to establish safety programs that produce measurable reductions in error.