Errors are the things that Six Sigma tries to reduce or eliminate altogether. However, not all organizations see the value of Six Sigma or the other quality management strategies that can help them go zero defects.
This news on WorkForce Management is quite alarming really. What makes it so, is that the medical errors are preventable, yet because of a lack of effort on the part of management, these errors continue to kill people and hurt the coffers of the employers.
The article features a report on the health system’s efforts to reduce preventable errors. Still according to the report, the country has failed to:
- Reduce medication errors because hospitals have not widely adopted computerized prescribing and dispensing systems; the FDA has not done enough to help consumers and health practitioners avoid medication errors that stem from similar-sounding drug names and labels.
- Establish a national system suitable for reporting and tracking medical errors.
- Empower the Agency for Health Research and Quality to track national progress on patient safety.
- Raise professional standards and accountability of doctors, nurses and hospitals that commit preventable and widespread medical errors.
These preventable errors cost the country $17 billion to $29 billion annually. More than the cost, I think it’s more meaningful to look at it from the service side. These preventable errors kill thousands!
