Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005
PATIENT SAFETY AND QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2005 -- (House of Representatives - July 27, 2005)
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Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) for his leadership, and the gentleman from Texas (Chairman Barton), who is always evenhanded, played a big role in us finally getting this bill to the floor. I thank the ranking member, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown), for his work on this bill as well.
Mr. Speaker, this is an important bill before us today. As a physician, I know that in order to improve safety, we have got to report errors. The gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood) just pointed out how if you do not report the error, you cannot learn from the mistake and never prevent it from happening again.
We have an environment right now that punishes doctors for perceived or actual mistakes by lawsuits and regulation, and it has become nearly impossible to encourage true transparency in the practice of medicine. This opacity has not served anyone well with the possible exception of the plaintiff's bar.
I am pleased the United States Congress has finally come to an agreement on a level-headed approach to error reporting and will set quality standards in medicine. I believe this bill will be the first assault on the culture of fear that has permeated medicine for years now; doctors afraid of making a mistake, or doctors afraid of saying I am sorry for fear of being sued no matter how small the mistake, and this may lead to underreporting, overtreatment, and repetition of the same error again.
By permitting reporting, this bill takes a critical first step in improving the quality of care in this country. The research on patient safety unequivocally calls for a learning environment rather than the punitive environment that is present in this country.
Many organizations are currently collecting patient safety data, and this bill will give them the legal protections that will allow them to review protected information and collaborate on the development and implementation of patient safety and improvement strategies.
Mr. Speaker, this bill is long overdue. I agree with the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood) it is but a first step, but it is an important first step, and I am happy to put my support behind this bill that will improve the medical profession and improve the quality and safety of medical care for all Americans.
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