Public Disclosure of Hospital Errors, CANDOR System Get Giant Boost From Medicare/Medicaid

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Public Disclosure of Hospital Errors, CANDOR System Get Giant Boost From Medicare/Medicaid

2024-08-13 04:08 Last Updated At：04:21

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 12, 2024--

Efforts to protect U.S. hospital patients’ safety, require transparent disclosure of medical errors, and empower hospital staff to confidentially report safety concerns are taking a giant step forward this fall.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240812270302/en/

A new U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regulation being published on August 28 and taking effect on October 1 will require hospital leaders to attest to whether they are taking several steps to promote accountability and transparency around medical errors, which are the third leading cause of death for Americans after heart disease and cancer.

The regulation specifically endorses the Communication and Optimal Resolution (CANDOR) program as a way for hospitals to commit to being honest and open with patients and their families about medical errors, why they happened, and what steps the hospital will take to prevent them from recurring.

An alternative to the once-common response to medical errors known as “deny and defend,” CANDOR has been shown by severalstudies to reduce malpractice claims and the duration and expense of litigation.

“Early evidence shows the value of CANDOR programs to increase confidence in hospital leadership and improve healthcare worker job satisfaction,” said Thomas A. Mroz, Professor Emeritus of Economics at Georgia State University. “These benefits may reduce turnover of hospital workers, including nurses, physicians, and hospital leaders.’’

Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, and Utah have all adopted laws to make it easier for hospitals to use CANDOR. Georgia’s Legislature came within one procedural vote of enacting a Georgia CANDOR law before the 2024 session expired. CANDOR-type policies are also sometimes referred to as communication-and-resolution programs (CRP).

The new CMS regulation, available online at https://federalregister.gov/d/2024-17021, states that “accountability for outcomes, as well as transparency around safety events and performance, represent the cornerstones of a culture of safety. For hospital leaders, clinical and non-clinical staff, patients, and families to learn from safety events and prevent harm, there must exist a culture that promotes event reporting without fear or hesitation, and safety data collection and analysis with the free flow of information.’’

As a condition of participating in Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), starting Oct. 1 U.S. hospitals must attest whether they:

Failing to implement these programs can lead to lower quality ratings of hospitals and other healthcare providers.

Houston rallies to beat Duke 70-67 in the Final Four and advance to face Florida for the NCAA title

2025-04-06 12:17 Last Updated At：12:22

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Houston’s suffocating defense wiped away a 14-point deficit over the final eight minutes and erased Cooper Flagg and Duke’s title hopes Saturday night in a 70-67 stunner over the Blue Devils at the Final Four.

Duke made a grand total of one field goal over the last 10 1/2 minutes of this game. The second-to-last attempt during its game-ending 1-for-9 stretch was a step-back jumper in the lane by Flagg that J’Wan Roberts disrupted. The last was a desperation heave by Tyrese Proctor that caught nothing at the buzzer.

It was Roberts’ two free throws with 19.6 seconds left that gave the Cougars their first lead since 6-5. LJ Cryer, who led Houston with 26 points, made two more to push the lead to three. It was Houston’s biggest lead of the night.

“No one ever loses at anything as long as you don’t quit," coach Kelvin Sampson said. "If you quit, you’ve lost.”

The Cougars (35-4), who have never won a title, not even in the days of Phi Slama Jamma, will play Florida on Monday night for the championship.

Florida’s 79-73 win over Auburn in the early game was a free-flowing hoopsfest. This one would’ve looked perfect on a cracked blacktop and a court with chain-link nets.

That’s just how Houston likes it. It closed the game on an 11-1 run, and though Flagg finished with 27 points, he did it on 8-for-19 shooting and never got a good look after his 3 at the 3:02 mark put the Blue Devils (35-4) up by nine.

It looked over at that point. Houston was just getting started.

A team that prides itself on getting three stops in a row — calling the third one the “kill stop” — allowed a measly three free throws down the stretch, one of which came when Joseph Tugler got a technical for batting the ball from a Duke player's hand as he was trying to throw an inbounds pass.

That didn't make it any better for Duke, which had tons of trouble even getting the ball in down the last minute.

Houston finished with six steals and six blocked shots, including four from Tugler, who might be the best shot blocker this program has seen since Hakeem Olajuwon, who was on hand at the Alamodome to see the program's first trip to the final since 1984.

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