A New Jersey Assembly committee on Thursday approved a bill (A4327) that would identify online hospitals committing serious and preventable medical errors, the Newark Star-Ledger reports.
Under the legislation, the state Department of Health and Senior Services would compile and post online an annual report of where errors -- including death, loss of a limb, and disability for a week or more -- have occurred. The names of specific physicians, nurses and other health professionals would not be posted.
The legislation would overrule a confidentiality provision in the three-year-old Patient Safety Act that allows hospital officials to disclose their mistakes in "a non-punitive culture that focuses on improving processes rather than assigning blame."
Supporters of the proposed measure, including AARP and consumer advocacy groups, say that allowing hospital confidentiality is not fair to patients, according to the Star-Ledger.
However, state Sen. Joseph Vitale (D) said, "Saying 'This hospital had this many errors,' at the end of the day, does not fix the system. This is the wrong approach."
The committee also approved a bill that would require hospitals to report infection rates for multiple ailments to the state health department, which then would post the information online. The state currently collects data on specific outbreaks, but the public is unaware of where they occur (Livio, Newark Star-Ledger, 6/15).