On June 11, the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) awarded a number of grants to support State and health systems in their efforts to implement and evaluate patient safety approaches and medical liability reform. Transparent Health Co-Founders, Tim McDonald MD and Dave Mayer MD, along with the University of Illinois at Chicago, are the Principal, and Co-Investigator respectively, on one of the largest remunerated demonstration and planning grants recently awarded by AHRQ, a part of President Barack Obama’s patient safety and medical liability initiative announced last year. See press release for additional details.
“As Co-Executive Directors of the University of Illinois at Chicago Institute for Patient Safety Excellence [UIC IPSE], Dave Mayer and I feel highly honored that our grant proposal: The Seven Pillars: Bridging the Patient Safety – Medical Liability Chasm received notice of $3M in funding from AHRQ,” comments McDonald. “The grant provides UIC IPSE the resources to transport the “principled approach” to patient harm to at least nine other Chicago area medical centers.”
“The “Seven Pillars” approach, with its emphasis on transparency, 1.) Puts patients first 2.) Concentrates on effective communication 3.) Focuses on the prevention of medical errors and; 4.) Provides for a rapid, compassionate response when inappropriate care causes patient harm,” explains McDonald. “With a rigorous research model, we intend to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach at improving patient safety while simultaneously reducing medical liability. Once demonstrated we hope the model will become a “best practice” throughout all of healthcare and replace the traditional “deny, defend, shame and blame” response to patient harm as it currently exists.”
This is continued affirmation that patient safety, as well as a patient-centered response to medical error, is becoming an even greater priority in the cultural shift medicine is beginning to embrace. We look forward to sharing more about the progress of the Seven Pillars project.