MEDICAL ERRORS

Check and Re-Check

Minnesota has become the first state in the nation whose hospitals have adopted a policy under which they will no longer charge patients and insurers for certain medical errors, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. The policy covers 27 errors or “adverse events” that are never supposed to happen in hospitals, such as operating on the wrong body part or retrieving objects left in the body after surgery. “We're formalizing and saying out loud this is what hospitals are going to do and have been doing,” Minnesota Hospital Association president Bruce Reuben told the Tribune. In 2003, the state enacted a law requiring hospitals to report adverse events, after which many hospitals ended their practice of billing for such errors. The policy change comes on the heels of an earlier announcement from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, stating that Medicare will no longer reimburse hospitals for adverse events.

ACCESS

Church Care

A new report from the National Council of Churches indicates that ministries are significantly involved in providing health-care services. In a study funded by the The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the NCC found that 70 percent of responding ministries provided some form of direct service, including screening, counseling, referrals and emergency medical funding. In addition to this, 65 percent of reporting ministries provide some form of health education, such as prevention efforts and information on elder health care. Health education was especially common at African American congregations, which were more likely to provide multiple services. Overall, 51 percent of the churches responded that they provide direct financial support to those who need help paying medical bills. The NCC says these numbers indicate that state health departments can work with congregations to provide health-care services to underserved populations.

PUBLIC HEALTH

Suicide Prevention

Seeking to combat rising rates of suicide, California will soon establish an Office of Suicide Prevention (OSP) within the Department of Mental Health. The Office will work with community health-care groups to develop successful prevention strategies. Approximately 3,000 Californians take their own lives every year, and suicide is the third leading cause of death among Californian teens and young adults, according to Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi, who sponsored the legislation (AB 509) establishing the office. “It is important that we provide the necessary resources to address this critical element of our health care because the statistics are alarming,” she said. The Department is expected to establish this office “using existing funds and resources,” according to the bill. Currently, 40 states have a state-wide suicide prevention plan in action, the Sacramento Bee reports.