Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, joined by leaders of major hospitals, employers, health plans, physicians, nurses, and patient advocates, today announced a new national partnership that will help save 60,000 lives by stopping millions of preventable injuries and complications in patient care over the next three years. The Partnership for Patients: Better Care, Lower Costs has the potential to save up to $35 billion, including up to $10 billion for Medicare. Already, more than 500 hospitals, as well as physicians and nurses groups, consumer groups, and employers have pledged their commitment to the new initiative. This initiative is an exciting opportunity to save lives, and fits in with the current ORHP Flex grant program activities around quality, specifically, the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project’s Phase 3 measure that engages a pharmacist within the critical access hospital to reduce preventable injuries related to medication errors. Rural facilities are encouraged to sign the pledge!

Website resources:
For more information about the Partnership for Patients, click here.
For a fact sheet on the announcement, click here.
For more information about the Community-based Care Transitions Program funding opportunity, click here.
The National Advisory Committee for Rural Health and Human Services presented options for engaging Critical Access Hospitals in Community Based Care Transitions Programs. Click here for more information.