CAPSULES
MDH Urges Hospital Leaders to Focus Intently on Safety The annual report on adverse events in hospitals in Minnesota found that the number of such events overall held steady between 2009 and 2010, with a jump in medication errors. Officials with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) say the stagnant numbers are a concern, and add that a new focus on patient safety from hospital leadership is needed. Overall, the number of adverse events in Minnesota hospitals went from 301 in 2009 to 305 in 2010. In 2009, there were four deaths; in 2010, 10, including two deaths from medication errors, an area that increased from four events in 2009 to 13 in 2010. Other areas such as the numbers of falls, serious bedsores, and adverse events related to surgery remained roughly the same, the report finds. “The system has helped us to learn so much about why these events have happened and
continue to happen,” says Diane Rydrych, assistant director of MDH’s health policy division. “As a result, we have dedicated staff all around the state working on implementing new solutions. But when we see that we’re holding steady from where we were last year, that’s not where we want to be. We think that the numbers can and should be lower than they are.” Rydrych says MDH is putting a new emphasis on leadership from hospital boards and CEOs. “Leaders at that level really need to send a strong message that safety is the primary focus of the organization and that everybody is going to be held accountable for compliance with best practices,” she says. “It’s all part of developing a culture of safety. No matter how many dedicated frontline staff you have, if you don’t have a culture that is focused 100 percent on safety, you’re not going to be able to make progress.” Some of the strategies being recommended by MDH include telling patient stories of pre-
ventable harm at every board meeting, training hospital board members on patient safety, and requiring board members to participate in “leadership rounds” that put them in contact with frontline staff and patients.
Mayo Executive Says Health Reform Efforts Should Be Continued Health reform efforts in Minnesota have made progress but have not gone far enough, a Mayo Clinic executive told state legislators recently. Doug Wood, MD, vice president of Mayo’s Division of Health Care Policy and Research, spoke before the House Health and Human Services Reform Committee on Feb. 2. Although court challenges to the federal health care reform legislation have made headlines in recent weeks, Wood said Minnesota must press on with its own reforms. “In Minnesota, we’ve been ahead of the federal govern-
ment the whole time, and there’s no reason for us to step back and wait,” he said. Wood told the legislators the problem with the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) is that it tried to copy the health care reform model of Massachusetts. “In Minnesota, we decided that our effort had to be on controlling costs first, and then work on access later. Massachusetts decided to do access first and not work on cost,” he said, adding that because of rising costs the Massachusetts model is not faring well. “They have coverage but they don’t truly have access.” However, Wood said Minnesota has more work to do in controlling cost as well. “The fundamental problem for us is that health care spending is still rising at a rate that outpaces economic growth,” he said. “If we don’t solve this problem, we’ll really going to threaten the economic vitality of every community in the state.” Wood urged lawmakers to think carefully about budget
At last, a spine center with everything under 1 roof
R
esearch has shown that complex p problems p like
We’ve also invested in patient p education with an
bback ack and and neck neck ppain ain are are bbest est treated treateed by by ccenters enteers
on-line on-line spine spine eencyclopedia ncyclopedia at at www.SummitSpinecare. w w w.SummitSpinecare.
of excellence exccellence that that specialize specialize iinn spine. spine. Consequently, Consequentlly, in in of
com. Also, A lso, as as a free free community community sservice, er vice, wwee pprovide rovide a com.
2010, Orthopedics 2010, Summit Summit Or thopedics ccreated reated SSummit ummit Spinecare Spinecare
36-page 36-page Home Home Remedy Remedy Book Book with with exercises exercises tthat hat relieve relieve
as as a regional regional specialty specialtyy center center fo for or spine, spine, based based in in a new new
neck neck and and back back pain. pain. Call Call us us and and we’ll we’ll send send you you 20 20 copies copies
6,500 Woodbury. 6,500 spine spine ccenter enter space space in in W oodbur y.
for foor you you to to provide provide as as a resource resource to to your your patients. patiients.
Summit Spinecare Spinecare ccombines ombines the the eexpertise xpertise ooff tthree hree Summit
By By having having itit aallll in in oone ne place, place, the the back back or or neck neck pain pain
non-surgical non-surgical spine spine sspecialists, pecialists, three three fellowship-trained feellowship-trained
sufferer suffferer no no longer longer has has to to drive drivee around around town town anymore. anymore.
spine surgeons, surgeons, spine-specialized spine-specialized therapists, therapistss, X-ray, X-ray, MRI M RI spine
Now Now isn’t isn’t that that a wwelcome elcome relief? relief?
and and an an iinjection njectiion ssuite uitee — all all uunder nder oone ne roof. roof.
NON-SURGICAL NON-SURGIC AL SPINE CARE C ARE
SPINE SURGEONS URGEONS
TTom om CCesarz, esarz, M.D. M.D. BBoard-Certified oard-Certified Physical Physical Medicine FFellowship-Trained ellowship-Trained in spine
Hartleben, M.D.. PPaul aul DD.. Har tleben, M.D Orthopedic BBoard-Certified oard-Certified t Orthopedic Surgeon Surgeon FFellowship-Trained ellowship-Trained Spine Spine SSurgeon urgeon
John A. DDowdle, owdle, M.D. M.D. BBoard-Certified oard-Certified Orthopedic Orthopedic Surgeon Surgeon
M.D.. BBryan ryan J.J. Lynn, Lynn, nn, M.D Orthopedic BBoard-Certified oard-Certified t Orthopedic Surgeon Surgeon FFellowship-Trained ellowship-Trained Spine Spine SSurgeon urgeon
Kristen Krist en M. Zeller, Zellerr, M.D. M.D. BBoard-Certified oard-Certified Pain Pain Management Management FFellowship-Trained ellowship-Trained PPain ain Managemen Managementt
Wills, M.D.. Nicholas JJ.. W ills, M.D FFellowship ellowship Trained Trained SSpine pine SSurgeon urgeon
The sspine The pine sspecialty pecialt y ccenter e nt e r o off S Summit um mi t O Orthopedics r t h o p e di c s 2 09 0 W o o d w in d s D rive, W oodbur y, M N5 5125 2090 Woodwinds Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125 A p p o int m e nt s & R eferrals: Appointments Referrals:
651.738.BACK 6 51.738.BAC K
www.SummitSpinecare.com w ww.SummitSpinecare.com
4
MINNESOTA PHYSICIAN MARCH 2011