Improve the safety of your care

By Greg Cieslewicz
Communications Specialist
WEA Trust

March 2007

Last year in a Madison hospital, a 16-year-old girl died during childbirth after a nurse gave the girl the wrong medication.

Many of us hear about catastrophic cases of medical error and think these cases are the exception rather than the rule.What you may not know, however, is that one in every 25 patients is harmed during hospitalization, according to a landmark Harvard University study. Nearly 14% of these patients die from the injuries.

The remaining 86% of patients who are harmed – the majority that you don’t hear about – may experience negligible harm or, in some cases, chronic injury that has a profound impact on their quality of life.

What is medical error?
Health care industry expert Lucien Leape, M.D., defines medical error as
“an unintended act (either of omission or commission) or one that does not achieve its intended outcomes.”

Common medical mishaps range from wrong diagnoses and errors in surgery or treatment to hospitalacquired infections and mistakes in the dose or administration of a drug.

In the hospital, mistakes are often associated with shift changes and transfers to another department or facility.

You are part of the solution
Medical error is real. And it’s far more common than many people think. But there are steps you can take to help prevent mistakes in the care you receive.

• Ask questions. If you want to know what’s going on, ask. If you don’t understand what you’re told, ask again. If something doesn’t seem right to you, ask about it.
  
  
• Educate yourself about conditions you have or are at risk for. Learn about ways you can improve the safety of your medical care.When selecting a hospital, use resources that rank hospitals’ performance such as the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality (www.wchq.org) or The Leapfrog Group for Patient Safety (www.leapfroggroup.org).
  
  
• Keep track of your medications, including prescription and nonprescription drugs, supplements, herbal remedies, and any allergies or negative reactions you’ve had in the past.Take a list with this information every time you visit a doctor or hospital.

A battle against rising health care costs

Public schools want partners that are fiscally responsible and demonstrate prudent business practices in the services and products offered – essential elements in keeping costs down. At the same time, employees
want an organization that looks out for their well-being.

The WEA Trust has been one of these trusted partners for more than 35 years,working on many fronts to help WEAC members have access to cost-effective, quality coverage. At a time when some insurers place a greater focus on shareholder profits than on accountability, the Trust has taken a different approach.

The Trust does not pay commissions to consultants and staff to increase market share; it does not price its health plans to generate profits; and it does not pay exorbitant salaries to executives. That allows us to focus on ways we can better serve public school employees.

Another key difference is the Trust’s commitment to policies and programs that address rising health care costs and quality health care. For example, the Trust’s care management programs help our health plan members with chronic conditions receive the right care at the right time.

Members can help
The Trust cannot fight the rise in health care costs alone.We encourage our health plan members to get involved.

The Trust works diligently with members to reduce costs, helping members make informed decisions about their health care dollars. In turn, members are choosing more cost-effective health care plans, are taking
their health assessment, and are becoming more educated regarding their health. However, there is still much to be done.

Everyone can influence health care costs by taking simple yet effective actions such as:

• If it is not a health emergency, visit an immediate care clinic or make an appointment with your primary physician. A typical emergency room visit costs five times more than an office visit.
  
  
• Use generic drugs when appropriate. When prescribed a medication, ask your physician if there is a generic drug alternative available. You will usually have a lower copayment and your health plan will save, too.
  
  
• Take advantage of the Trust’s annual health assessment. This tool,
  available online for Trust health plan members at weatrust.com, can help track your health status over time, detecting small changes that may have a big impact on your quality of life.

For more information on things you can do to address costs, go online to weatrust.com/10things.

Posted March 11, 2007