The patient safety commission requires all participating hospitals to send a written notice to patients affected by a medical error. Last year, hospitals delivered written notifications only 36 out of 80 times. The commission plans to work with the state hospital association and other experts to help hospitals overcome the obstacles associated with the written notification requirement.
Opponents of the requirement say written notices could “alienate” patients, while the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems has expressed written notices are not always possible or appropriate, according to the news report.
However, Bethany Higgins, executive director of the commission, said written notices are a means to build trust and improve hospital transparency.
Read the news report about medical errors.
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