Discussion: "Hospital Safety"

Respond to the following:

• In 1999, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published a scathing report on medical errors, indicating that up to 98,000 people die each year because of preventable errors in hospitals. The IOM's report has been followed up by subsequent reports with increasing numbers of preventable errors causing deaths in U.S. hospitals.

• Go to the Hospital Safety Score website and select two facilities of your choosing. Next, interpret the results and compare the safety scores between the two facilities. Suggest a strategy for improving one of the facility's safety scores, and then examine the effect that the safety score has on consumer perception of quality.