In recent years, many high-profile reports have brought to light a little-know and disconcerting reality: in a country that spends more on health care than any industrialized nation, 44,000 to 98,000 Americans die each year as the result of medical errors. In its 1999 report the Institute of Medicine (IOM) reported that preventable medical errors take more lives each year than attributable to causes such as breast cancer, AIDS or motor vehicle accidents.
And the need for improvement in health care quality and safety is evidenced by much more than mortality statistics. The IOM has also found that 50 percent of patients with conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and asthma don't have their care managed adequately. As a result of these and many other factors, $17 billion to $29 billion is unnecessarily spent each year to address shortcomings throughout the U.S. health care system.
Raising the Bar is one of three central components of CareFirst Commitment. CareFirst will invest nearly $9 million over the next three years on partnerships and programs designed to improve patient safety and reduce medical errors. These programs will benefit CareFirst members and non-members alike - and help raise the bar on health care quality and safety throughout the region.
