11.22.05

Senate Passes Cantwell-Backed Legislation to Reduce Medical Errors with Better Technology in Hospitals and Clinics

Cantwell-supported measure will get patient history, test results to doctors faster, saving lives and $140 billion every yearCantwell calls for quick action in the House to get people the care they need

SEATTLE, WA – Tuesday, during a tour of Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) applauded the Senate’s recent approval of "The Wired for Health Care Quality Act." This vital legislation will reduce medical errors, save lives, and cut costs by coordinating and improving health information technology in clinics and hospitals nationwide.

"This is a big step toward getting hospitals and clinics, especially those in rural and underserved areas, the tools they need to serve patients faster and more effectively," said Cantwell. "By getting cutting-edge health information technology to hospitals and clinics throughout the country we can improve care and save lives."

The bill passed by the Senate last week will help develop a nationwide interoperable technology infrastructure. It also authorizes $125 million in grants for hospitals and health centers to acquire and use health information technology in 2006, and $150 billion during 2007. Rural and underserved areas will receive preference. As most health care in America is delivered by small physician practices, the legislation will provide funding to help smaller providers implement health information systems.

"Many Washington state hospitals are leaders in this technology, but all our health care professionals ought to have access to this level of quality patient care," said Cantwell. "Right now, many small health care facilities don’t have the information technology they need. We must make sure every community in our state has access to the best technology so their patients can get they care they need."

Now that the legislation has cleared the Senate, Cantwell is calling for quick action in the House so America’s hospitals and medical centers can get the technology they need. In a letter sent today to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Cantwell requested they work to pass the bill without delay.

A study by the Institute of Medicine estimates that 98,000 lives are lost and $300 billion are spent every year because of medical errors, making it the 8th leading cause of death in America, ahead of car accidents, AIDS, and breast cancer. Cantwell and health care officials believe that improved health care information technology systems can drastically reduce these errors by providing doctors with patient history and test results faster and more efficiently, saving lives and $140 billion annually.

By getting health information to doctors faster, health care professional will have to run fewer tests and will have a more accurate understanding of each patient they treat. The Institute of Medicine estimates that 20 percent of all medical tests are duplicative, as doctors find it faster to repeat a test than to search for results of past tests. This creates an incredible amount of waste, only adding to America’s already-skyrocketing medical costs.

Cantwell was joined Tuesday by Steve Hoppe, R.N., the eICU operations manager at Swedish Medical Center. Swedish’s eICU remotely monitors patients for 24-hours-a-day in 53 beds at two intensive care locations, utilizing emerging health care technology to monitor patients more effectively and comprehensively. Dan Dixon, Policy affairs expert for Swedish Medical Center, and Dr. Chris Leininger, Chief Information Officer for Swedish Medical Center, also joined Cantwell for the eICU tour.

To view the letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, click on the following link here