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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 20, 2005 Since you asked Hospitals will report mistakes voluntarily Do hospitals here have to publicly share their rate of health-care acquired infections that result in patient death or serious physical injury? This has been a huge issue in several other states, but I haven’t seen anything about Oregon. — Scott A., via e-mail Oregon hospitals are not required to report their "infection rate," Scott. Concerns about patient safety, however, prompted the Legislature to pass a law in 2003 that’s intended to help hospitals reduce the number of "adverse events" (things that ordinary people call "mistakes") that occur in health care. The Legislature created the Oregon Patient Safety Commission to collect reports of adverse events from hospitals, nursing homes, surgical centers, pharmacies, kidney dialysis centers and birth centers. Participation is voluntary, says Jim Dameron, administrator of the new commission, but public and private organizations that are concerned about health care will put pressure on health-care providers to participate. Organizations that choose to participate will report serious adverse events, along with an analysis of what went wrong and action plans that were established to prevent repeat episodes. The commission will analyze those reports and share information with other health-care organizations to improve the quality of care and patient safety. Advertisement Dameron says the reports will not be site specific, and they will not be available to other government agencies that might use them for any kind of investigation. That means you won’t be able to look at the report and compare hospitals. Dameron says the commission enrolled five hospitals, including Rogue Valley Medical Center, in a pilot project to see how the system would function. It should begin its work in earnest in January. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to Since you asked ">[email protected] . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Cheap Website Hosting Discount Hotel Reservations Online Pharmacy Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Student Loans High End Computers Online Casino News Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Salvia Divinorum Online Casino Fundraisers Advertisement s