State Health Department Convenes Second Annual Patient Safety Conference

Experts Focus on Strengthening Hospital Policies and Procedures to Ensure Patient Safety

ALBANY, March 15, 2005 — State Health Commissioner Antonia C. Novello, M.D., M.P.H., Dr.P.H., today announced that this year's patient safety conference: Working Together — Partnering for Patient Safety, will highlight initiatives that are further improving the quality of health care and protecting patients in New York's hospitals, community health centers and nursing homes. The two-day conference begins tomorrow at the Desmond Hotel (Albany).

Dr. Novello said, "It is the responsibility of the entire health care community to protect the health and well-being of those patients who are entrusted in their care. Governor Pataki and I are committed to supporting programs and initiatives like New York's annual patient safety conferences to further improve access to high quality health care throughout the State."

"I also would like to thank the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), for their ongoing support and participation in this important quality initiative," Dr. Novello further stated.

In 2001, the New York State Department of Health was awarded a $5.4 million in conjunction with the University at Albany School of Public Health (SPH) for three Patient Safety Demonstration Projects. The federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) oversees the initiative. The funding was used to implement evidence based interventions around three common and preventable adverse events: deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolus (DVT/PE, blood clotting), Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) unrelated to a cardiac procedure and post-operation wound infection.

Keynote speakers James Bagian, M.D., P.E., Director of the VA National Center for Patient Safety and Rex Cowdry, M.D., M.P.H., Senior Consultant, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, United States Department of Health and Human Services will open this year's conference.

Dr. Bagian's keynote speech will focus on the culture of safety, define the issues related to patient safety and quality assurance, and identify ways to help prevent medical errors from occurring. "Patient Safety is the foundation upon which quality health care is built. This conference affords us an outstanding opportunity to share the knowledge we have gathered through years of practical experience," Dr. Bagian said.

Dr. Cowdry's address will focus on the U.S. government's strategic framework for improving health care through health information technology and the role of the public and private sector in developing standards for electronic health record-keeping. Dr. Cowdry said, "Done well, electronic medical records, decision support, and secure information exchange can make patient safety efforts far more comprehensive and effective.  Advances in technology will help us reach well beyond patient safety, empowering patients and transforming our health care system into a patient-centered, information-rich, provider friendly, and integrated system."

The overall goal of the conference is to enhance and promote patient safety for hospitals and other health care organizations by learning from national, state and local leaders regarding the change in culture, patient safety practices, evidence based interventions, health information technology and performance measures.

The Health Information Technology (HIT) Panel will highlight some of the groundbreaking strides being made in New York State towards incorporating state-of-the-art information technology with clinical practice to further protect patients.

The conference will include breakout sessions on four topics on the first day, including:

  • Medication Errors: The presentations will focus on medication safety. Participants will examine the role of communication and teamwork in medication safety; an analysis of medication errors reported through the NYPORTS program; and national efforts to reduce adverse medication outcomes.
  • Performance Measures and Quality: Panelists will promote ways to strengthen the delivery of quality health care and ways to measure outcomes. Collectively, they will share examples of current initiatives that they are undertaking while providing an overview of performance measurement and quality in health care facilities.
  • Bariatric Surgery: Obesity is now considered a national epidemic creating a major national health crisis. With more than five million Americans classified as "morbidly obese," the demand for bariatric surgery is on the rise. The session will focus on issues surrounding patient selection criteria, surgeon qualifications and optimum equipment and staffing for facilities offering weight loss surgery.
  • Empowering the Patient/Consumer Centered Health care: Participants will discuss what patients must be aware of to help them make well-informed health care decisions and how patients can help improve their own outcomes by asking questions and effectively communicating with health care providers.

Those who are participating in this year's conference include hospital chief operating officers, medical directors, administrators, pharmacy representatives, nursing personnel, risk and quality managers, health plan executives and other interested parties.