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 As
a nation, we have been fortunate to be able to provide among the highest
quality health care in the world. Our nation’s physicians, our medical
schools, and our medical research facilities are demonstrating
leadership in health care that is unmatched by global standards.
However, we also face many daunting challenges in health care. At the
consumer level, health care insurance rates have increased dramatically
and many individuals are unable to provide insurance coverage for their
families if their workplace does not offer it. At the physician level,
skyrocketing medical malpractice insurances rates have forced many
physicians to close their practices, limiting the availability of
quality physicians to patients.
It is clear that we need significant health care reform, but it is
important that we maintain our high standard of quality of care, even as
we seek to reduce overall health care costs and increase access to care.
I would suggest that one of the most important steps we can take to
achieve this goal is to modernize our health care system.
Consider the following: According to a study done by the Institute of
Medicine, between 44,000 and 98,000 individuals are killed every year in
the United States due to medical errors, and these errors cost the
United States upward of $79 billion each year. Nursing shortages are
expected to reach 20% by the year 2020 and are forcing some health care
facilities to implement mandatory overtime for nurses and increased
patient care loads, contributing to an increased number of stress
related errors. Medical students are operating under strict rules that
limit them to an 80-hour work week leaving less time for direct
interactions between students and instructors. If we have the
opportunity to significantly decrease the number of medical errors and
increase training time – to save lives and to reduce health care costs –
wouldn’t we take it?
Modeling and simulation technology uses complex computer models to
create artificial environments for hands-on simulated training. As
Founder and Chairman of the
Congressional
Modeling and Simulation Caucus, I have seen these simulation
technologies revolutionize fast-paced industries like homeland security
and defense that require precise skill work to achieve mission critical
results, and it has proven to decrease training costs significantly and
improve overall national military readiness. The technology is now
making its way to the medical industry.
Most recently, many of our nation’s top teaching hospitals are applying
simulation technology to the medical field with impressive results for
health care quality and patient safety. Trials have seen the clinical
error rate in hospitals drop from 30 percent to almost four percent,
which, when applied across the United States, could see medical error
costs drop up to $17 billion. Giving physicians the opportunity to
practice new or sophisticated techniques will provide considerable cost
benefits to patients in the U.S. as well as advance the medical industry
as a whole.
Just weeks ago, Dr. Sudhir Srivastava of the University of Chicago
successfully performed a minimally-invasive bypass surgery with the
spider-like arms of a robot. Technology such as that used by Dr.
Srivastava is proving to reduce surgical complications and shorten the
amount of time patients must be in the hospital to recover.
Unfortunately, it is taking awhile for technology to catch on in the
health care industry, primarily due to lack of funding and opportunities
for technology training in medical education.
To address this issue, and to emphasize the importance that holistic
modernization of health care has on overall health care reform, I have
introduced the bipartisan
Enhancing SIMULATION (Safety in Medicine, Utilizing Leading Advanced
Simulation Technologies to Improve Outcomes Now)
Act of
2007. This legislation would advance medical simulation by
establishing federal grants to purchase medical simulation technology
for training, incorporate medical simulation into curricula, and study
simulation-based methods in credentialing and accreditation. It also
instructs the Department of Health and Human Services to increase the
use of simulation technologies and equipment in medical, nursing, and
dental education and training protocols through different programs.
Certain types of simulation centers are cost prohibitive for most
institutions but there are significant "lessons learned" that can be
shared. To coordinate activities and provide leadership,
H.R.
4321 would also create a Coordinating Council and several Centers of
Excellence. The Coordinating Council would consult with the medical
community to coordinate the federal government’s medical simulation
investments and programs. Centers of Excellence will advise, train, and
assist programs on the use of medical simulation technologies. They will
also provide central training facilities and experiences for providers
regardless of institutional affiliation.
Today we stand at a critical juncture in health care. We can sit back
and wish for a system of empowerment, choice, and quality care that is
affordable. Or we can take small, but valuable, steps forward aimed at
transforming our health care system. Modernizing health care through the
use of technology is an important step in health care reform that will
appropriately bring health care in America into the 21st century.
June is Home Safety Month
 The
month of June kicks off Home Safety Month. The Home Safety Council, a
nonprofit organization solely dedicated to preventing home related
injuries that result in nearly 20,000 deaths and 21 million medical
visits on average each year, has named this year’s theme, “Hands on Home
Safety”. The Home Safety Council is asking the public to take simple
steps, such as properly labeling products and checking smoke alarms, to
make your home a safer place for you and your family.
Use the following tips from the Home Safety Council to help prevent the
three most common causes of home injuries – falls; poisoning; and fire
and burns.
Fall Prevention
▪ Use bright lights at the top and
bottom of stairs and make sure hallways and dark areas in the home are
well-lit at night with nightlights.
▪ Install grab bars in the tub, shower
and near toilets.
▪ Use a rubber bath mat or
non-slip strips in the tub.
▪ Install handrails along both sides of
stairs and keep stairs and pathways clear of clutter.
▪ In homes with babies and toddlers,
use baby gates at the top and bottom of stairs.
Poison Prevention
▪ Know the national poison control
center toll-free number --1-800-222-1222 -- and keep the number by every
phone in the home.
▪ Properly label and store cleaning
products away from food and out of reach of children.
▪ Store dangerous chemicals in a secure
locked cabinet or in a child locked cabinet.
▪ Install a carbon monoxide detector to
monitor the CO level in your home.
▪ Keep all medicines and vitamins in
original containers in a secure area—away from children.
▪ Always store gasoline in an approved
container.
Fire & Burn Prevention
▪ Check the setting of your water
heater and make sure it’s set no higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
▪ Install smoke alarms on each level of
your home, especially in or near sleeping areas.
▪ Test each smoke alarm every month and
replace smoke alarm batteries with new ones at least once each year.
▪ Know how to escape a fire. Find
two exits out of every room – the door and possibly a window. Choose an
outside meeting place in front of the home. Practice your plan twice a
year with all members of the family.
▪ Stay in the kitchen while food is
cooking on the stove.
▪ Be sure to lock matches and
lighters away from children.
For a list of more home safety tips,
click here.
To create your home safety checklist,
click here.
For the new Disaster Preparedness Booklet,
click here. |
