As part of its initiative on health care quality, GNYHA held a briefing on November 17, 2000, on evidence-based strategies to reduce medication errors. Experts from across the country and from New York City discussed approaches to reducing medication errors, ranging from initiatives that rely on technological innovation to pharmacist rounds and programs to improve physician handwriting. The briefing provided an analysis of national research on the prevention of medication errors as well as concrete examples of how hospitals are tackling the problems.

Speakers: David Bates, M.D., Medical Director of Clinical and Quality Analysis at Partners Healthcare System, Inc. in Boston and a leading national expert on medication errors, discussed the findings of his research on the incidence, prevention, and cost of medication errors. He stressed the fact that evidence has shown that medication errors are systems errors, not due to the mistakes of a single individual. In reviewing the national evidence on medication errors, Dr. Bates also stressed the value of physician order entry systems in reducing errors. While the systems are costly to install and maintain, Dr. Bates asserted that the cost savings through error reduction over time are significant.

Other speakers presented innovative hospital and health system approaches for addressing medication errors, focusing on strategic opportunities for improvement. Representatives from the New York Presbyterian Healthcare Network spoke about the Network's development of a variety of approaches to prevent errors. Frank Saya, Pharm.D., Director of Pharmacy at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, discussed the programs his hospital has implemented to tackle medication errors, including physician participation in a course to improve handwriting.

Emphasis on Patient Safety: The program was particularly timely in light of the announcement on November 15 by the Leapfrog Group that it would encourage employees to choose hospitals that promote patient safety, pointing specifically to reliance on computerized medication order entry systems to prevent medication errors. The Leapfrog Group is a coalition of 60 of the largest companies nationwide that have banded together to promote the reduction of medical errors. General Motors, a member of the Leapfrog Group, has already begun to offer financial incentives to employees to choose health plans that contract with "high-performance" hospitals.