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Committee on Ways and Means For Immediate Release The Patient Safety Improvement Act of 2002 Lawmakers examine medical errors in the health care system WASHINGTON - Next week, lawmakers will hold a hearing to examine the draft Chairman’s mark of H.R. 4889, the “Patient Safety Improvement Act of 2002.” The Subcommittee on Health will focus on legislation that is designed to reduce medical errors through accurate and timely reporting. Preventable medical errors are the eighth leading cause of death in America. Nearly 100,000 patients die in hospitals each year as a result of preventable mistakes. Often a medical error is not the result of incompetence, but of flawed systems that reinforce procedural mistakes. Health care providers go to work to help patients, not harm them, but flawed systems often enhance circumstances under which medical errors are likely to occur. As a result, health care providers should focus on systemic improvements to improve patient care and safety. “We have spent too much time discussing the potential for quality improvement and fewer errors in health care,” said Chairwoman Nancy Johnson (R-CT). “It is clear that leadership can make a difference and Congress should take the lead. I am looking forward to thoughtful input and lively discussion to help us find ways to improve the safety of all patients.”
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