National Focus on Patient Safety (Websites)

Gateway Health Plan supports the national health care agenda to reduce medical errors and improve patient safety. Our Clinical Times Physician newsletters will target patient safety issues and provide tips on how to reduce the risk of medical error. Additional information on patient safety for providers and patients is included in your provider education packets (provided at the time of medical record review), on the Gateway Health Plan^®web site, or can be obtained by contacting the health plan. If you would like to share a patient safety practice that you believe that would help other providers to reduce the risk of medical error, contact the Quality Improvement department at 412-255-1144 so that we can highlight your recommendation in an upcoming newsletter article.

To find out more regarding the national focus on patient safety, visit the following web sites:

The Leapfrog Group
http://www.leapfroggroup.org/safety.htm

Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
http://www.jcaho.org/general+public/patient+safety/index.htm

Agency for Health Care Research and Quality
http://www.ahcpr.gov/qual/errorsix.htm

Institute of Medicine
http://www.iom.edu
http://www.nap.edu/openbook/0309068371/html

9-04