Patient safety efforts have saved 87,000 lives from 2010-2014

Patient safety measures that reward hospitals for reducing preventable infections, pressure ulcers and adverse drug events have led to a 17 percent decline in patient harm in the last four years, according to a new study from the Department of Health and Human Services. This means 87,000 fewer patients died in hospitals and nearly $20 billion in health care costs have been saved nationally. In Washington State, there have been 23,000 fewer patient harms and 16,000 fewer readmissions, saving a total of $235 million in health care costs. These numbers represent great progress in our state and our country, and WSHA looks forward to continuing to work with our partners to continue this important work and make care even safer in our state through initiatives such as Partnership for Patients. Click here to read more in an article in The Washington Post. (Carol Wagner)