Health Agencies Told: Work Together

[Max]

Health Agencies Told: Work Together
Thu Oct 31,10:03 AM ET

WASHINGTON (AP) - Government agencies are moving in the right direction to improve health care quality, but they should share information and coordinate their efforts, the Institute of Medicine (news - web sites) said Wednesday.



The institute, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences (news - web sites), said federal agencies can help improve Americans' health care by setting a good example.


"In the absence of strong federal leadership to address safety and quality concerns, progress will be slow," said Dr. Gilbert Omenn of the University of Michigan, chairman of the panel that prepared the report.


In the wake of reports of medical errors across the country, Congress asked the institute to review the health quality efforts of Medicare, Medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program, the Defense Department TRICARE programs, the Veterans Administration and the Indian Health Service.


The panel concluded that the agencies have begun redesigning their programs and are moving in the right direction to reduce medical errors and improve quality.


But the efforts are not coordinated, the committee said. It suggested that the agencies work together to develop common ways to measure performance and make comparative quality reports available to the public.


Measuring performance will require agencies to set up computerized patient records, the committee said, an area where it commented the health care industry has lagged behind.


In addition, private insurers should be encouraged to add their performance data to a national health care database, as long as the privacy of individual patients is protected.


The committee concluded that Congress should consider tax credits, subsidized loans or grants to encourage development of a national health information system.


The National Academy of Sciences is an independent organization chartered by Congress to provide advice to the government on scientific issues.


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On the Net:

National Academy of Sciences: http://www.nationalacademies.org

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