ADVISORY
FROM THE COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS

SUBCOMMITTEE ON HEALTH

Johnson Announces Hearing on
Legislation to Reduce Medical Errors

Congresswoman Nancy L. Johnson (R-CT), Chairman, Subcommittee on Health of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing on legislation to reduce medical errors.  The hearing will take place on Tuesday, September 10, 2002, in the main Committee hearing room, 1100 Longworth House Office Building, beginning at 10:00 a.m.

 In view of the limited time available to hear witnesses, oral testimony at this hearing will be from invited witnesses only.  Witnesses will include academic experts and representatives from professional organizations.  However, any individual or organization not scheduled for an oral appearance may submit a written statement for consideration by the Committee and for inclusion in the printed record of the hearing.

BACKGROUND:

 H.R. 4889, the “Patient Safety Improvement Act of 2002,” was introduced by Chairman Johnson on June 6, 2002.  The bill seeks to reduce medical errors by encouraging reporting of adverse events to new patient safety organizations.  These new organizations would analyze what went wrong and provide feedback to health providers so that they can learn from their mistakes.  This hearing builds on the testimony provided at the Subcommittee’s March 7, 2002, hearing on medical errors.

Medical errors permeate our health system.  More than three years ago, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) reported that preventable medical errors are the eighth leading cause of death in America – ahead of breast cancer, AIDS and traffic deaths.  Nearly, 100,000 patients die in hospitals each year as a result of preventable mistakes.  The number of injured is even greater.  And yet in the three years since the release of the breakthrough IOM report, no legislation has passed either chamber of Congress.

In announcing the hearing, Chairman Johnson stated, “We have spent too much time discussing the potential for quality improvement and fewer errors in health care.  It is clear that Federal leadership can make a difference and Congress can make that happen.  I am looking forward to thoughtful input and a lively discussion to help us in our consideration of this bill.”

FOCUS OF THE HEARING:

Tuesday’s hearing will focus on the draft Chairman’s mark of H.R. 4889.

DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS:

Please Note:  Due to the change in House mail policy, any person or organization wishing to submit a written statement for the printed record of the hearing should send it electronically to hearingclerks.waysandmeans@mail.house.gov, along with a fax copy to (202) 225-2610, by the close of business, Thursday, September 12, 2002.  Those filing written statements who wish to have their statements distributed to the press and interested public at the hearing should deliver their 200 copies to the Subcommittee on Health in room 1136 Longworth House Office Building, in an open and searchable package 48 hours before the hearing.  The U.S. Capitol Police will refuse sealed-packaged deliveries to all House Office Buildings. 

FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS:

Each statement presented for printing to the Committee by a witness, any written statement or exhibit submitted for the printed record or any written comments in response to a request for written comments must conform to the guidelines listed below.  Any statement or exhibit not in compliance with these guidelines will not be printed, but will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.

1.   Due to the change in House mail policy, all statements and any accompanying exhibits for printing must be submitted electronically to hearingclerks.waysandmeans@mail.house.gov, along with a fax copy to (202) 225-2610, in Word Perfect or MS Word format and MUST NOT exceed a total of 10 pages including attachments.  Witnesses are advised that the Committee will rely on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record. 

2.  Copies of whole documents submitted as exhibit material will not be accepted for printing.  Instead, exhibit material should be referenced and quoted or paraphrased.  All exhibit material not meeting these specifications will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.

3.    Any statements must include a list of all clients, persons, or organizations on whose behalf the witness appears.  A supplemental sheet must accompany each statement listing the name, company, address, telephone and fax numbers of each witness.

Note: All Committee advisories and news releases are available on the World Wide Web at http://waysandmeans.house.gov.

The Committee seeks to make its facilities accessible to persons with disabilities. If you are in need of special accommodations, please call (202) 225-1721 or (202) 226-3411 TTD/TTY in advance of the event (four business days notice is requested). Questions with regard to special accommodation needs in general (including availability of Committee materials in alternative formats) may be directed to the Committee as noted above.