Mary Ellen Schneider

The Affordable Care Act includes $11 billion in new funding to significantly expand the reach of federally qualified health centers, known as community health centers. The bulk of the funding – $9.5 billion – will be used to fund new health centers and to expand patient capacity at existing centers. Over the next 5 years, that funding is expected to double community health center capacity to about 40 million patients. The first $1 billion in funding is being distributed this year.

Dr. Gary Wiltz, who runs a network of community health centers in rural Louisiana, explains how the new funding and other provisions of the ACA will impact primary care in underserved areas.

QUESTION: The ACA would help expand services to an additional 20 million patients. Will that begin to address the need for primary care services in underserved areas?

Dr. Wiltz: I think it most definitely will. The community health center network has long been advocating for expansion to try to meet the needs of about 60 million people whom we consider disenfranchised because they don’t have a regular source of medical care or a medical home. This funding, if it’s fully implemented, will help us to get close to 40 million patients by 2015. We’ll have the largest network of primary care providers in the nation. Along with that funding, there is a tripling of funding for the National Health Service Corps, which also will help to address the shortage of primary care providers. But we’re certainly not going to solve all of the nation’s ills. I think if we continue to invest in building capacity and getting folks good primary, comprehensive preventive care where they live, we can solve some of these problems by getting them out of the emergency department.

QUESTION: Where are the greatest unmet needs?

Dr. Wiltz: One of the things we see a lot in our practice is that people go without care because they don’t have insurance. They come in for just acute, episodic care and they do it in the emergency department. They’ll seek care in that setting, which is the most expensive care they can get. If you don’t have a payer source, it’s very difficult to navigate the system. Even if you have insurance, a lot of people don’t know how to navigate the system. That’s why we want to be their medical home. What we attempt to do is provide a wide array of services in one place.

QUESTION: The ACA also includes funding to develop medical residency programs at community health centers. What is the advantage of offering training through health centers?

Dr. Wiltz: A few years ago, the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) came up with the idea of "growing our own." I’m an internist, and when I was a resident, there was a lot of the emphasis placed on hospital-based medicine. Outpatient primary care clinics were an afterthought. It wasn’t until I got into a community health center setting that I recognized that that’s really where you can make a difference. If residents train in our community health centers, then they will have the skill sets to do what we do: provide primary care in a setting with lots of uninsured patients who lack resources. So we came up with the idea of NACHC U. We started with a dental school. Now it’s spread to a medical school model. The natural progression was to offer a residency training program. So in the ACA, lawmakers included a provision that’s specific to teaching in community health centers. In the last round of funding, several centers received funds. The hope is that we will spread that as time goes on. This introduces residents to primary care where the needs are the greatest. But most importantly, it increases the number of primary care residencies.

QUESTION: Community health centers have been touted as models for providing high-quality, low-cost primary care. What lessons can physicians outside of that system apply to their own practice?

Dr. Wiltz: There’s no one magic bullet, so the private sector and the public sector have to work together. Wherever we can collaborate, we want to collaborate. Concerned physicians can get involved in the community to promote good health. For example, they can work with local food stores to make sure patients have healthy choices or improve the places where people go to exercise. But we have the advantage in community health centers because we have resources to bring to bear that you wouldn’t have ordinarily in a private practice. We can provide services in one place and offer discounted prices for medications. I have a lot of colleagues who want to be a part of this solution. But the ultimate step will be if those uninsured people have a payer source; then they can be seen by for primary care.

The Affordable Care Act includes $11 billion in new funding to significantly expand the reach of federally qualified health centers, known as community health centers. The bulk of the funding – $9.5 billion – will be used to fund new health centers and to expand patient capacity at existing centers. Over the next 5 years, that funding is expected to double community health center capacity to about 40 million patients. The first $1 billion in funding is being distributed this year.

Dr. Gary Wiltz, who runs a network of community health centers in rural Louisiana, explains how the new funding and other provisions of the ACA will impact primary care in underserved areas.

QUESTION: The ACA would help expand services to an additional 20 million patients. Will that begin to address the need for primary care services in underserved areas?

Dr. Wiltz: I think it most definitely will. The community health center network has long been advocating for expansion to try to meet the needs of about 60 million people whom we consider disenfranchised because they don’t have a regular source of medical care or a medical home. This funding, if it’s fully implemented, will help us to get close to 40 million patients by 2015. We’ll have the largest network of primary care providers in the nation. Along with that funding, there is a tripling of funding for the National Health Service Corps, which also will help to address the shortage of primary care providers. But we’re certainly not going to solve all of the nation’s ills. I think if we continue to invest in building capacity and getting folks good primary, comprehensive preventive care where they live, we can solve some of these problems by getting them out of the emergency department.

QUESTION: Where are the greatest unmet needs?

Dr. Wiltz: One of the things we see a lot in our practice is that people go without care because they don’t have insurance. They come in for just acute, episodic care and they do it in the emergency department. They’ll seek care in that setting, which is the most expensive care they can get. If you don’t have a payer source, it’s very difficult to navigate the system. Even if you have insurance, a lot of people don’t know how to navigate the system. That’s why we want to be their medical home. What we attempt to do is provide a wide array of services in one place.

QUESTION: The ACA also includes funding to develop medical residency programs at community health centers. What is the advantage of offering training through health centers?

Dr. Wiltz: A few years ago, the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) came up with the idea of "growing our own." I’m an internist, and when I was a resident, there was a lot of the emphasis placed on hospital-based medicine. Outpatient primary care clinics were an afterthought. It wasn’t until I got into a community health center setting that I recognized that that’s really where you can make a difference. If residents train in our community health centers, then they will have the skill sets to do what we do: provide primary care in a setting with lots of uninsured patients who lack resources. So we came up with the idea of NACHC U. We started with a dental school. Now it’s spread to a medical school model. The natural progression was to offer a residency training program. So in the ACA, lawmakers included a provision that’s specific to teaching in community health centers. In the last round of funding, several centers received funds. The hope is that we will spread that as time goes on. This introduces residents to primary care where the needs are the greatest. But most importantly, it increases the number of primary care residencies.

QUESTION: Community health centers have been touted as models for providing high-quality, low-cost primary care. What lessons can physicians outside of that system apply to their own practice?

Dr. Wiltz: There’s no one magic bullet, so the private sector and the public sector have to work together. Wherever we can collaborate, we want to collaborate. Concerned physicians can get involved in the community to promote good health. For example, they can work with local food stores to make sure patients have healthy choices or improve the places where people go to exercise. But we have the advantage in community health centers because we have resources to bring to bear that you wouldn’t have ordinarily in a private practice. We can provide services in one place and offer discounted prices for medications. I have a lot of colleagues who want to be a part of this solution. But the ultimate step will be if those uninsured people have a payer source; then they can be seen by for primary care.

The Affordable Care Act includes $11 billion in new funding to significantly expand the reach of federally qualified health centers, known as community health centers. The bulk of the funding – $9.5 billion – will be used to fund new health centers and to expand patient capacity at existing centers. Over the next 5 years, that funding is expected to double community health center capacity to about 40 million patients. The first $1 billion in funding is being distributed this year.

Dr. Gary Wiltz, who runs a network of community health centers in rural Louisiana, explains how the new funding and other provisions of the ACA will impact primary care in underserved areas.

QUESTION: The ACA would help expand services to an additional 20 million patients. Will that begin to address the need for primary care services in underserved areas?

Dr. Wiltz: I think it most definitely will. The community health center network has long been advocating for expansion to try to meet the needs of about 60 million people whom we consider disenfranchised because they don’t have a regular source of medical care or a medical home. This funding, if it’s fully implemented, will help us to get close to 40 million patients by 2015. We’ll have the largest network of primary care providers in the nation. Along with that funding, there is a tripling of funding for the National Health Service Corps, which also will help to address the shortage of primary care providers. But we’re certainly not going to solve all of the nation’s ills. I think if we continue to invest in building capacity and getting folks good primary, comprehensive preventive care where they live, we can solve some of these problems by getting them out of the emergency department.

QUESTION: Where are the greatest unmet needs?

Dr. Wiltz: One of the things we see a lot in our practice is that people go without care because they don’t have insurance. They come in for just acute, episodic care and they do it in the emergency department. They’ll seek care in that setting, which is the most expensive care they can get. If you don’t have a payer source, it’s very difficult to navigate the system. Even if you have insurance, a lot of people don’t know how to navigate the system. That’s why we want to be their medical home. What we attempt to do is provide a wide array of services in one place.

QUESTION: The ACA also includes funding to develop medical residency programs at community health centers. What is the advantage of offering training through health centers?

Dr. Wiltz: A few years ago, the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) came up with the idea of "growing our own." I’m an internist, and when I was a resident, there was a lot of the emphasis placed on hospital-based medicine. Outpatient primary care clinics were an afterthought. It wasn’t until I got into a community health center setting that I recognized that that’s really where you can make a difference. If residents train in our community health centers, then they will have the skill sets to do what we do: provide primary care in a setting with lots of uninsured patients who lack resources. So we came up with the idea of NACHC U. We started with a dental school. Now it’s spread to a medical school model. The natural progression was to offer a residency training program. So in the ACA, lawmakers included a provision that’s specific to teaching in community health centers. In the last round of funding, several centers received funds. The hope is that we will spread that as time goes on. This introduces residents to primary care where the needs are the greatest. But most importantly, it increases the number of primary care residencies.

QUESTION: Community health centers have been touted as models for providing high-quality, low-cost primary care. What lessons can physicians outside of that system apply to their own practice?

Dr. Wiltz: There’s no one magic bullet, so the private sector and the public sector have to work together. Wherever we can collaborate, we want to collaborate. Concerned physicians can get involved in the community to promote good health. For example, they can work with local food stores to make sure patients have healthy choices or improve the places where people go to exercise. But we have the advantage in community health centers because we have resources to bring to bear that you wouldn’t have ordinarily in a private practice. We can provide services in one place and offer discounted prices for medications. I have a lot of colleagues who want to be a part of this solution. But the ultimate step will be if those uninsured people have a payer source; then they can be seen by for primary care.

The Affordable Care Act includes $11 billion in new funding to significantly expand the reach of federally qualified health centers, known as community health centers. The bulk of the funding – $9.5 billion – will be used to fund new health centers and to expand patient capacity at existing centers. Over the next 5 years, that funding is expected to double community health center capacity to about 40 million patients. The first $1 billion in funding is being distributed this year.

Dr. Gary Wiltz, who runs a network of community health centers in rural Louisiana, explains how the new funding and other provisions of the ACA will impact primary care in underserved areas.

QUESTION: The ACA would help expand services to an additional 20 million patients. Will that begin to address the need for primary care services in underserved areas?

Dr. Wiltz: I think it most definitely will. The community health center network has long been advocating for expansion to try to meet the needs of about 60 million people whom we consider disenfranchised because they don’t have a regular source of medical care or a medical home. This funding, if it’s fully implemented, will help us to get close to 40 million patients by 2015. We’ll have the largest network of primary care providers in the nation. Along with that funding, there is a tripling of funding for the National Health Service Corps, which also will help to address the shortage of primary care providers. But we’re certainly not going to solve all of the nation’s ills. I think if we continue to invest in building capacity and getting folks good primary, comprehensive preventive care where they live, we can solve some of these problems by getting them out of the emergency department.

QUESTION: Where are the greatest unmet needs?

Dr. Wiltz: One of the things we see a lot in our practice is that people go without care because they don’t have insurance. They come in for just acute, episodic care and they do it in the emergency department. They’ll seek care in that setting, which is the most expensive care they can get. If you don’t have a payer source, it’s very difficult to navigate the system. Even if you have insurance, a lot of people don’t know how to navigate the system. That’s why we want to be their medical home. What we attempt to do is provide a wide array of services in one place.

QUESTION: The ACA also includes funding to develop medical residency programs at community health centers. What is the advantage of offering training through health centers?

Dr. Wiltz: A few years ago, the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) came up with the idea of "growing our own." I’m an internist, and when I was a resident, there was a lot of the emphasis placed on hospital-based medicine. Outpatient primary care clinics were an afterthought. It wasn’t until I got into a community health center setting that I recognized that that’s really where you can make a difference. If residents train in our community health centers, then they will have the skill sets to do what we do: provide primary care in a setting with lots of uninsured patients who lack resources. So we came up with the idea of NACHC U. We started with a dental school. Now it’s spread to a medical school model. The natural progression was to offer a residency training program. So in the ACA, lawmakers included a provision that’s specific to teaching in community health centers. In the last round of funding, several centers received funds. The hope is that we will spread that as time goes on. This introduces residents to primary care where the needs are the greatest. But most importantly, it increases the number of primary care residencies.

QUESTION: Community health centers have been touted as models for providing high-quality, low-cost primary care. What lessons can physicians outside of that system apply to their own practice?

Dr. Wiltz: There’s no one magic bullet, so the private sector and the public sector have to work together. Wherever we can collaborate, we want to collaborate. Concerned physicians can get involved in the community to promote good health. For example, they can work with local food stores to make sure patients have healthy choices or improve the places where people go to exercise. But we have the advantage in community health centers because we have resources to bring to bear that you wouldn’t have ordinarily in a private practice. We can provide services in one place and offer discounted prices for medications. I have a lot of colleagues who want to be a part of this solution. But the ultimate step will be if those uninsured people have a payer source; then they can be seen by for primary care.

The Affordable Care Act includes $11 billion in new funding to significantly expand the reach of federally qualified health centers, known as community health centers. The bulk of the funding – $9.5 billion – will be used to fund new health centers and to expand patient capacity at existing centers. Over the next 5 years, that funding is expected to double community health center capacity to about 40 million patients. The first $1 billion in funding is being distributed this year.

Dr. Gary Wiltz, who runs a network of community health centers in rural Louisiana, explains how the new funding and other provisions of the ACA will impact primary care in underserved areas.

QUESTION: The ACA would help expand services to an additional 20 million patients. Will that begin to address the need for primary care services in underserved areas?

Dr. Wiltz: I think it most definitely will. The community health center network has long been advocating for expansion to try to meet the needs of about 60 million people whom we consider disenfranchised because they don’t have a regular source of medical care or a medical home. This funding, if it’s fully implemented, will help us to get close to 40 million patients by 2015. We’ll have the largest network of primary care providers in the nation. Along with that funding, there is a tripling of funding for the National Health Service Corps, which also will help to address the shortage of primary care providers. But we’re certainly not going to solve all of the nation’s ills. I think if we continue to invest in building capacity and getting folks good primary, comprehensive preventive care where they live, we can solve some of these problems by getting them out of the emergency department.

QUESTION: Where are the greatest unmet needs?

Dr. Wiltz: One of the things we see a lot in our practice is that people go without care because they don’t have insurance. They come in for just acute, episodic care and they do it in the emergency department. They’ll seek care in that setting, which is the most expensive care they can get. If you don’t have a payer source, it’s very difficult to navigate the system. Even if you have insurance, a lot of people don’t know how to navigate the system. That’s why we want to be their medical home. What we attempt to do is provide a wide array of services in one place.

QUESTION: The ACA also includes funding to develop medical residency programs at community health centers. What is the advantage of offering training through health centers?

Dr. Wiltz: A few years ago, the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) came up with the idea of "growing our own." I’m an internist, and when I was a resident, there was a lot of the emphasis placed on hospital-based medicine. Outpatient primary care clinics were an afterthought. It wasn’t until I got into a community health center setting that I recognized that that’s really where you can make a difference. If residents train in our community health centers, then they will have the skill sets to do what we do: provide primary care in a setting with lots of uninsured patients who lack resources. So we came up with the idea of NACHC U. We started with a dental school. Now it’s spread to a medical school model. The natural progression was to offer a residency training program. So in the ACA, lawmakers included a provision that’s specific to teaching in community health centers. In the last round of funding, several centers received funds. The hope is that we will spread that as time goes on. This introduces residents to primary care where the needs are the greatest. But most importantly, it increases the number of primary care residencies.

QUESTION: Community health centers have been touted as models for providing high-quality, low-cost primary care. What lessons can physicians outside of that system apply to their own practice?

Dr. Wiltz: There’s no one magic bullet, so the private sector and the public sector have to work together. Wherever we can collaborate, we want to collaborate. Concerned physicians can get involved in the community to promote good health. For example, they can work with local food stores to make sure patients have healthy choices or improve the places where people go to exercise. But we have the advantage in community health centers because we have resources to bring to bear that you wouldn’t have ordinarily in a private practice. We can provide services in one place and offer discounted prices for medications. I have a lot of colleagues who want to be a part of this solution. But the ultimate step will be if those uninsured people have a payer source; then they can be seen by for primary care.

The Affordable Care Act includes $11 billion in new funding to significantly expand the reach of federally qualified health centers, known as community health centers. The bulk of the funding – $9.5 billion – will be used to fund new health centers and to expand patient capacity at existing centers. Over the next 5 years, that funding is expected to double community health center capacity to about 40 million patients. The first $1 billion in funding is being distributed this year.

Dr. Gary Wiltz, who runs a network of community health centers in rural Louisiana, explains how the new funding and other provisions of the ACA will impact primary care in underserved areas.

QUESTION: The ACA would help expand services to an additional 20 million patients. Will that begin to address the need for primary care services in underserved areas?

Dr. Wiltz: I think it most definitely will. The community health center network has long been advocating for expansion to try to meet the needs of about 60 million people whom we consider disenfranchised because they don’t have a regular source of medical care or a medical home. This funding, if it’s fully implemented, will help us to get close to 40 million patients by 2015. We’ll have the largest network of primary care providers in the nation. Along with that funding, there is a tripling of funding for the National Health Service Corps, which also will help to address the shortage of primary care providers. But we’re certainly not going to solve all of the nation’s ills. I think if we continue to invest in building capacity and getting folks good primary, comprehensive preventive care where they live, we can solve some of these problems by getting them out of the emergency department.

QUESTION: Where are the greatest unmet needs?

Dr. Wiltz: One of the things we see a lot in our practice is that people go without care because they don’t have insurance. They come in for just acute, episodic care and they do it in the emergency department. They’ll seek care in that setting, which is the most expensive care they can get. If you don’t have a payer source, it’s very difficult to navigate the system. Even if you have insurance, a lot of people don’t know how to navigate the system. That’s why we want to be their medical home. What we attempt to do is provide a wide array of services in one place.

QUESTION: The ACA also includes funding to develop medical residency programs at community health centers. What is the advantage of offering training through health centers?

Dr. Wiltz: A few years ago, the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) came up with the idea of "growing our own." I’m an internist, and when I was a resident, there was a lot of the emphasis placed on hospital-based medicine. Outpatient primary care clinics were an afterthought. It wasn’t until I got into a community health center setting that I recognized that that’s really where you can make a difference. If residents train in our community health centers, then they will have the skill sets to do what we do: provide primary care in a setting with lots of uninsured patients who lack resources. So we came up with the idea of NACHC U. We started with a dental school. Now it’s spread to a medical school model. The natural progression was to offer a residency training program. So in the ACA, lawmakers included a provision that’s specific to teaching in community health centers. In the last round of funding, several centers received funds. The hope is that we will spread that as time goes on. This introduces residents to primary care where the needs are the greatest. But most importantly, it increases the number of primary care residencies.

QUESTION: Community health centers have been touted as models for providing high-quality, low-cost primary care. What lessons can physicians outside of that system apply to their own practice?

Dr. Wiltz: There’s no one magic bullet, so the private sector and the public sector have to work together. Wherever we can collaborate, we want to collaborate. Concerned physicians can get involved in the community to promote good health. For example, they can work with local food stores to make sure patients have healthy choices or improve the places where people go to exercise. But we have the advantage in community health centers because we have resources to bring to bear that you wouldn’t have ordinarily in a private practice. We can provide services in one place and offer discounted prices for medications. I have a lot of colleagues who want to be a part of this solution. But the ultimate step will be if those uninsured people have a payer source; then they can be seen by for primary care.

Federal officials are pouring a $1 billion into a new initiative aimed at reducing hospital readmissions and preventable injuries.

The "Partnership for Patients" brings together physicians, nurses, hospitals, patient advocates, insurers, and employers for a 3-year project that will help spread the lessons of successful quality improvement initiatives across the country and provide tools for health care providers.

Many hospitals have already had success in reducing readmissions or nearly eliminating hospital-acquired infections, but those initiatives haven't been adopted widely enough, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said at an April 12 press conference to launch the Partnership for Patients.

"The challenge is how to figure out how to make these models spread and accelerate this care improvement," she said.

The goal of the program is to reduce preventable hospital-acquired conditions by 40% compared to 2010 rates by the end of 2013. And officials are also seeking to reduce hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge by 20% compared to 2010. HHS officials estimate that the quality initiative will save 60,000 lives and up to $35 billion in health care costs, including up to $10 billion for Medicare alone.

The $1 billion investment of federal funds comes from the Affordable Care Act. HHS officials said they were making $500 million available right away through the Community-Based Care Transitions Program to support efforts to improve care transitions between hospitals and physicians in the community. Starting April 12, hospitals and community-based organizations that team up to provide transition services can submit applications to HHS for funding. An additional $500 million will come from the CMS Innovation Center to fund demonstration projects aimed at reducing hospital-acquired conditions.

Under the Partnership for Patients, HHS officials are asking hospitals to focus on nine types of adverse events including drug reactions, pressure ulcers, childbirth complications, and surgical site infections. HHS officials also plan to recruit a group of "pioneer" hospitals that would seek to improve care for all forms of harm and complications, said Dr. Donald Berwick, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Dr. Berwick said these hospitals would go beyond the list of nine conditions and seek to transform themselves into "safer, high reliability organizations."

"By assembling this partnership and committing to these ambitious goals, we’re sending a clear message that we can no longer accept a health care system in which only some Americans get the best possible care," Ms. Sebelius said.

Federal officials are pouring a $1 billion into a new initiative aimed at reducing hospital readmissions and preventable injuries.

The "Partnership for Patients" brings together physicians, nurses, hospitals, patient advocates, insurers, and employers for a 3-year project that will help spread the lessons of successful quality improvement initiatives across the country and provide tools for health care providers.

Many hospitals have already had success in reducing readmissions or nearly eliminating hospital-acquired infections, but those initiatives haven't been adopted widely enough, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said at an April 12 press conference to launch the Partnership for Patients.

"The challenge is how to figure out how to make these models spread and accelerate this care improvement," she said.

The goal of the program is to reduce preventable hospital-acquired conditions by 40% compared to 2010 rates by the end of 2013. And officials are also seeking to reduce hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge by 20% compared to 2010. HHS officials estimate that the quality initiative will save 60,000 lives and up to $35 billion in health care costs, including up to $10 billion for Medicare alone.

The $1 billion investment of federal funds comes from the Affordable Care Act. HHS officials said they were making $500 million available right away through the Community-Based Care Transitions Program to support efforts to improve care transitions between hospitals and physicians in the community. Starting April 12, hospitals and community-based organizations that team up to provide transition services can submit applications to HHS for funding. An additional $500 million will come from the CMS Innovation Center to fund demonstration projects aimed at reducing hospital-acquired conditions.

Under the Partnership for Patients, HHS officials are asking hospitals to focus on nine types of adverse events including drug reactions, pressure ulcers, childbirth complications, and surgical site infections. HHS officials also plan to recruit a group of "pioneer" hospitals that would seek to improve care for all forms of harm and complications, said Dr. Donald Berwick, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Dr. Berwick said these hospitals would go beyond the list of nine conditions and seek to transform themselves into "safer, high reliability organizations."

"By assembling this partnership and committing to these ambitious goals, we’re sending a clear message that we can no longer accept a health care system in which only some Americans get the best possible care," Ms. Sebelius said.

Federal officials are pouring a $1 billion into a new initiative aimed at reducing hospital readmissions and preventable injuries.

The "Partnership for Patients" brings together physicians, nurses, hospitals, patient advocates, insurers, and employers for a 3-year project that will help spread the lessons of successful quality improvement initiatives across the country and provide tools for health care providers.

Many hospitals have already had success in reducing readmissions or nearly eliminating hospital-acquired infections, but those initiatives haven't been adopted widely enough, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said at an April 12 press conference to launch the Partnership for Patients.

"The challenge is how to figure out how to make these models spread and accelerate this care improvement," she said.

The goal of the program is to reduce preventable hospital-acquired conditions by 40% compared to 2010 rates by the end of 2013. And officials are also seeking to reduce hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge by 20% compared to 2010. HHS officials estimate that the quality initiative will save 60,000 lives and up to $35 billion in health care costs, including up to $10 billion for Medicare alone.

The $1 billion investment of federal funds comes from the Affordable Care Act. HHS officials said they were making $500 million available right away through the Community-Based Care Transitions Program to support efforts to improve care transitions between hospitals and physicians in the community. Starting April 12, hospitals and community-based organizations that team up to provide transition services can submit applications to HHS for funding. An additional $500 million will come from the CMS Innovation Center to fund demonstration projects aimed at reducing hospital-acquired conditions.

Under the Partnership for Patients, HHS officials are asking hospitals to focus on nine types of adverse events including drug reactions, pressure ulcers, childbirth complications, and surgical site infections. HHS officials also plan to recruit a group of "pioneer" hospitals that would seek to improve care for all forms of harm and complications, said Dr. Donald Berwick, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Dr. Berwick said these hospitals would go beyond the list of nine conditions and seek to transform themselves into "safer, high reliability organizations."

"By assembling this partnership and committing to these ambitious goals, we’re sending a clear message that we can no longer accept a health care system in which only some Americans get the best possible care," Ms. Sebelius said.

Federal officials are pouring a $1 billion into a new initiative aimed at reducing hospital readmissions and preventable injuries.

The "Partnership for Patients" brings together physicians, nurses, hospitals, patient advocates, insurers, and employers for a 3-year project that will help spread the lessons of successful quality improvement initiatives across the country and provide tools for health care providers.

Many hospitals have already had success in reducing readmissions or nearly eliminating hospital-acquired infections, but those initiatives haven’t been adopted widely enough, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said at an April 12 press conference to launch the Partnership for Patients.

"The challenge is how to figure out how to make these models spread and accelerate this care improvement," she said.

The goal of the program is to reduce preventable hospital-acquired conditions by 40% compared to 2010 rates by the end of 2013. And officials are also seeking to reduce hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge by 20% compared to 2010. HHS officials estimate that the quality initiative will save 60,000 lives and up to $35 billion in health care costs, including up to $10 billion for Medicare alone.

The $1 billion investment of federal funds comes from the Affordable Care Act. HHS officials said they were making $500 million available right away through the Community-Based Care Transitions Program to support efforts to improve care transitions between hospitals and physicians in the community. Starting April 12, hospitals and community-based organizations that team up to provide transition services can submit applications to HHS for funding. An additional $500 million will come from the CMS Innovation Center to fund demonstration projects aimed at reducing hospital-acquired conditions.

Under the Partnership for Patients, HHS officials are asking hospitals to focus on nine types of adverse events including drug reactions, pressure ulcers, childbirth complications, and surgical site infections. HHS officials also plan to recruit a group of "pioneer" hospitals that would seek to improve care for all forms of harm and complications, said Dr. Donald Berwick, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Dr. Berwick said these hospitals would go beyond the list of nine conditions and seek to transform themselves into "safer, high reliability organizations."

"By assembling this partnership and committing to these ambitious goals, we’re sending a clear message that we can no longer accept a health care system in which only some Americans get the best possible care," Ms. Sebelius said.

Federal officials are pouring a $1 billion into a new initiative aimed at reducing hospital readmissions and preventable injuries.

The "Partnership for Patients" brings together physicians, nurses, hospitals, patient advocates, insurers, and employers for a 3-year project that will help spread the lessons of successful quality improvement initiatives across the country and provide tools for health care providers.

Many hospitals have already had success in reducing readmissions or nearly eliminating hospital-acquired infections, but those initiatives haven’t been adopted widely enough, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said at an April 12 press conference to launch the Partnership for Patients.

"The challenge is how to figure out how to make these models spread and accelerate this care improvement," she said.

The goal of the program is to reduce preventable hospital-acquired conditions by 40% compared to 2010 rates by the end of 2013. And officials are also seeking to reduce hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge by 20% compared to 2010. HHS officials estimate that the quality initiative will save 60,000 lives and up to $35 billion in health care costs, including up to $10 billion for Medicare alone.

The $1 billion investment of federal funds comes from the Affordable Care Act. HHS officials said they were making $500 million available right away through the Community-Based Care Transitions Program to support efforts to improve care transitions between hospitals and physicians in the community. Starting April 12, hospitals and community-based organizations that team up to provide transition services can submit applications to HHS for funding. An additional $500 million will come from the CMS Innovation Center to fund demonstration projects aimed at reducing hospital-acquired conditions.

Under the Partnership for Patients, HHS officials are asking hospitals to focus on nine types of adverse events including drug reactions, pressure ulcers, childbirth complications, and surgical site infections. HHS officials also plan to recruit a group of "pioneer" hospitals that would seek to improve care for all forms of harm and complications, said Dr. Donald Berwick, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Dr. Berwick said these hospitals would go beyond the list of nine conditions and seek to transform themselves into "safer, high reliability organizations."

"By assembling this partnership and committing to these ambitious goals, we’re sending a clear message that we can no longer accept a health care system in which only some Americans get the best possible care," Ms. Sebelius said.

Federal officials are pouring a $1 billion into a new initiative aimed at reducing hospital readmissions and preventable injuries.

The "Partnership for Patients" brings together physicians, nurses, hospitals, patient advocates, insurers, and employers for a 3-year project that will help spread the lessons of successful quality improvement initiatives across the country and provide tools for health care providers.

Many hospitals have already had success in reducing readmissions or nearly eliminating hospital-acquired infections, but those initiatives haven’t been adopted widely enough, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said at an April 12 press conference to launch the Partnership for Patients.

"The challenge is how to figure out how to make these models spread and accelerate this care improvement," she said.

The goal of the program is to reduce preventable hospital-acquired conditions by 40% compared to 2010 rates by the end of 2013. And officials are also seeking to reduce hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge by 20% compared to 2010. HHS officials estimate that the quality initiative will save 60,000 lives and up to $35 billion in health care costs, including up to $10 billion for Medicare alone.

The $1 billion investment of federal funds comes from the Affordable Care Act. HHS officials said they were making $500 million available right away through the Community-Based Care Transitions Program to support efforts to improve care transitions between hospitals and physicians in the community. Starting April 12, hospitals and community-based organizations that team up to provide transition services can submit applications to HHS for funding. An additional $500 million will come from the CMS Innovation Center to fund demonstration projects aimed at reducing hospital-acquired conditions.

Under the Partnership for Patients, HHS officials are asking hospitals to focus on nine types of adverse events including drug reactions, pressure ulcers, childbirth complications, and surgical site infections. HHS officials also plan to recruit a group of "pioneer" hospitals that would seek to improve care for all forms of harm and complications, said Dr. Donald Berwick, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Dr. Berwick said these hospitals would go beyond the list of nine conditions and seek to transform themselves into "safer, high reliability organizations."

"By assembling this partnership and committing to these ambitious goals, we’re sending a clear message that we can no longer accept a health care system in which only some Americans get the best possible care," Ms. Sebelius said.

Federal officials are pouring a $1 billion into a new initiative aimed at reducing hospital readmissions and preventable injuries.

The "Partnership for Patients" brings together physicians, nurses, hospitals, patient advocates, insurers, and employers for a 3-year project that will help spread the lessons of successful quality improvement initiatives across the country and provide tools for health care providers.

Many hospitals have already had success in reducing readmissions or nearly eliminating hospital-acquired infections, but those initiatives haven’t been adopted widely enough, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said at an April 12 press conference to launch the Partnership for Patients.

"The challenge is how to figure out how to make these models spread and accelerate this care improvement," she said.

The goal of the program is to reduce preventable hospital-acquired conditions by 40% compared to 2010 rates by the end of 2013. And officials are also seeking to reduce hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge by 20% compared to 2010. HHS officials estimate that the quality initiative will save 60,000 lives and up to $35 billion in health care costs, including up to $10 billion for Medicare alone.

The $1 billion investment of federal funds comes from the Affordable Care Act. HHS officials said they were making $500 million available right away through the Community-Based Care Transitions Program to support efforts to improve care transitions between hospitals and physicians in the community. Starting April 12, hospitals and community-based organizations that team up to provide transition services can submit applications to HHS for funding. An additional $500 million will come from the CMS Innovation Center to fund demonstration projects aimed at reducing hospital-acquired conditions.

Under the Partnership for Patients, HHS officials are asking hospitals to focus on nine types of adverse events including drug reactions, pressure ulcers, childbirth complications, and surgical site infections. HHS officials also plan to recruit a group of "pioneer" hospitals that would seek to improve care for all forms of harm and complications, said Dr. Donald Berwick, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Dr. Berwick said these hospitals would go beyond the list of nine conditions and seek to transform themselves into "safer, high reliability organizations."

"By assembling this partnership and committing to these ambitious goals, we’re sending a clear message that we can no longer accept a health care system in which only some Americans get the best possible care," Ms. Sebelius said.

Federal officials are pouring a $1 billion into a new initiative aimed at reducing hospital readmissions and preventable injuries.

The "Partnership for Patients" brings together physicians, nurses, hospitals, patient advocates, insurers, and employers for a 3-year project that will help spread the lessons of successful quality improvement initiatives across the country and provide tools for health care providers.

Many hospitals have already had success in reducing readmissions or nearly eliminating hospital-acquired infections, but those initiatives haven’t been adopted widely enough, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said at an April 12 press conference to launch the Partnership for Patients.

"The challenge is how to figure out how to make these models spread and accelerate this care improvement," she said.

The goal of the program is to reduce preventable hospital-acquired conditions by 40% compared to 2010 rates by the end of 2013. And officials are also seeking to reduce hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge by 20% compared to 2010. HHS officials estimate that the quality initiative will save 60,000 lives and up to $35 billion in health care costs, including up to $10 billion for Medicare alone.

The $1 billion investment of federal funds comes from the Affordable Care Act. HHS officials said they were making $500 million available right away through the Community-Based Care Transitions Program to support efforts to improve care transitions between hospitals and physicians in the community. Starting April 12, hospitals and community-based organizations that team up to provide transition services can submit applications to HHS for funding. An additional $500 million will come from the CMS Innovation Center to fund demonstration projects aimed at reducing hospital-acquired conditions.

Under the Partnership for Patients, HHS officials are asking hospitals to focus on nine types of adverse events including drug reactions, pressure ulcers, childbirth complications, and surgical site infections. HHS officials also plan to recruit a group of "pioneer" hospitals that would seek to improve care for all forms of harm and complications, said Dr. Donald Berwick, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Dr. Berwick said these hospitals would go beyond the list of nine conditions and seek to transform themselves into "safer, high reliability organizations."

"By assembling this partnership and committing to these ambitious goals, we’re sending a clear message that we can no longer accept a health care system in which only some Americans get the best possible care," Ms. Sebelius said.

Federal officials are pouring a $1 billion into a new initiative aimed at reducing hospital readmissions and preventable injuries.

The "Partnership for Patients" brings together physicians, nurses, hospitals, patient advocates, insurers, and employers for a 3-year project that will help spread the lessons of successful quality improvement initiatives across the country and provide tools for health care providers.

Many hospitals have already had success in reducing readmissions or nearly eliminating hospital-acquired infections, but those initiatives haven’t been adopted widely enough, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said at an April 12 press conference to launch the Partnership for Patients.

"The challenge is how to figure out how to make these models spread and accelerate this care improvement," she said.

The goal of the program is to reduce preventable hospital-acquired conditions by 40% compared to 2010 rates by the end of 2013. And officials are also seeking to reduce hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge by 20% compared to 2010. HHS officials estimate that the quality initiative will save 60,000 lives and up to $35 billion in health care costs, including up to $10 billion for Medicare alone.

The $1 billion investment of federal funds comes from the Affordable Care Act. HHS officials said they were making $500 million available right away through the Community-Based Care Transitions Program to support efforts to improve care transitions between hospitals and physicians in the community. Starting April 12, hospitals and community-based organizations that team up to provide transition services can submit applications to HHS for funding. An additional $500 million will come from the CMS Innovation Center to fund demonstration projects aimed at reducing hospital-acquired conditions.

Under the Partnership for Patients, HHS officials are asking hospitals to focus on nine types of adverse events including drug reactions, pressure ulcers, childbirth complications, and surgical site infections. HHS officials also plan to recruit a group of "pioneer" hospitals that would seek to improve care for all forms of harm and complications, said Dr. Donald Berwick, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Dr. Berwick said these hospitals would go beyond the list of nine conditions and seek to transform themselves into "safer, high reliability organizations."

"By assembling this partnership and committing to these ambitious goals, we’re sending a clear message that we can no longer accept a health care system in which only some Americans get the best possible care," Ms. Sebelius said.

Federal officials are pouring a $1 billion into a new initiative aimed at reducing hospital readmissions and preventable injuries.

The "Partnership for Patients" brings together physicians, nurses, hospitals, patient advocates, insurers, and employers for a 3-year project that will help spread the lessons of successful quality improvement initiatives across the country and provide tools for health care providers.

Many hospitals have already had success in reducing readmissions or nearly eliminating hospital-acquired infections, but those initiatives haven’t been adopted widely enough, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said at an April 12 press conference to launch the Partnership for Patients.

"The challenge is how to figure out how to make these models spread and accelerate this care improvement," she said.

The goal of the program is to reduce preventable hospital-acquired conditions by 40% compared to 2010 rates by the end of 2013. And officials are also seeking to reduce hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge by 20% compared to 2010. HHS officials estimate that the quality initiative will save 60,000 lives and up to $35 billion in health care costs, including up to $10 billion for Medicare alone.

The $1 billion investment of federal funds comes from the Affordable Care Act. HHS officials said they were making $500 million available right away through the Community-Based Care Transitions Program to support efforts to improve care transitions between hospitals and physicians in the community. Starting April 12, hospitals and community-based organizations that team up to provide transition services can submit applications to HHS for funding. An additional $500 million will come from the CMS Innovation Center to fund demonstration projects aimed at reducing hospital-acquired conditions.

Under the Partnership for Patients, HHS officials are asking hospitals to focus on nine types of adverse events including drug reactions, pressure ulcers, childbirth complications, and surgical site infections. HHS officials also plan to recruit a group of "pioneer" hospitals that would seek to improve care for all forms of harm and complications, said Dr. Donald Berwick, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Dr. Berwick said these hospitals would go beyond the list of nine conditions and seek to transform themselves into "safer, high reliability organizations."

"By assembling this partnership and committing to these ambitious goals, we’re sending a clear message that we can no longer accept a health care system in which only some Americans get the best possible care," Ms. Sebelius said.

Federal officials are pouring a $1 billion into a new initiative aimed at reducing hospital readmissions and preventable injuries.

The "Partnership for Patients" brings together physicians, nurses, hospitals, patient advocates, insurers, and employers for a 3-year project that will help spread the lessons of successful quality improvement initiatives across the country and provide tools for health care providers.

Many hospitals have already had success in reducing readmissions or nearly eliminating hospital-acquired infections, but those initiatives haven’t been adopted widely enough, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said at an April 12 press conference to launch the Partnership for Patients.

"The challenge is how to figure out how to make these models spread and accelerate this care improvement," she said.

The goal of the program is to reduce preventable hospital-acquired conditions by 40% compared to 2010 rates by the end of 2013. And officials are also seeking to reduce hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge by 20% compared to 2010. HHS officials estimate that the quality initiative will save 60,000 lives and up to $35 billion in health care costs, including up to $10 billion for Medicare alone.

The $1 billion investment of federal funds comes from the Affordable Care Act. HHS officials said they were making $500 million available right away through the Community-Based Care Transitions Program to support efforts to improve care transitions between hospitals and physicians in the community. Starting April 12, hospitals and community-based organizations that team up to provide transition services can submit applications to HHS for funding. An additional $500 million will come from the CMS Innovation Center to fund demonstration projects aimed at reducing hospital-acquired conditions.

Under the Partnership for Patients, HHS officials are asking hospitals to focus on nine types of adverse events including drug reactions, pressure ulcers, childbirth complications, and surgical site infections. HHS officials also plan to recruit a group of "pioneer" hospitals that would seek to improve care for all forms of harm and complications, said Dr. Donald Berwick, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Dr. Berwick said these hospitals would go beyond the list of nine conditions and seek to transform themselves into "safer, high reliability organizations."

"By assembling this partnership and committing to these ambitious goals, we’re sending a clear message that we can no longer accept a health care system in which only some Americans get the best possible care," Ms. Sebelius said.

Federal officials are pouring a $1 billion into a new initiative aimed at reducing hospital readmissions and preventable injuries.

The "Partnership for Patients" brings together physicians, nurses, hospitals, patient advocates, insurers, and employers for a 3-year project that will help spread the lessons of successful quality improvement initiatives across the country and provide tools for health care providers.

Many hospitals have already had success in reducing readmissions or nearly eliminating hospital-acquired infections, but those initiatives haven’t been adopted widely enough, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said at an April 12 press conference to launch the Partnership for Patients.

"The challenge is how to figure out how to make these models spread and accelerate this care improvement," she said.

The goal of the program is to reduce preventable hospital-acquired conditions by 40% compared to 2010 rates by the end of 2013. And officials are also seeking to reduce hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge by 20% compared to 2010. HHS officials estimate that the quality initiative will save 60,000 lives and up to $35 billion in health care costs, including up to $10 billion for Medicare alone.

The $1 billion investment of federal funds comes from the Affordable Care Act. HHS officials said they were making $500 million available right away through the Community-Based Care Transitions Program to support efforts to improve care transitions between hospitals and physicians in the community. Starting April 12, hospitals and community-based organizations that team up to provide transition services can submit applications to HHS for funding. An additional $500 million will come from the CMS Innovation Center to fund demonstration projects aimed at reducing hospital-acquired conditions.

Under the Partnership for Patients, HHS officials are asking hospitals to focus on nine types of adverse events including drug reactions, pressure ulcers, childbirth complications, and surgical site infections. HHS officials also plan to recruit a group of "pioneer" hospitals that would seek to improve care for all forms of harm and complications, said Dr. Donald Berwick, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Dr. Berwick said these hospitals would go beyond the list of nine conditions and seek to transform themselves into "safer, high reliability organizations."

"By assembling this partnership and committing to these ambitious goals, we’re sending a clear message that we can no longer accept a health care system in which only some Americans get the best possible care," Ms. Sebelius said.

Federal officials are pouring a $1 billion into a new initiative aimed at reducing hospital readmissions and preventable injuries.

The "Partnership for Patients" brings together physicians, nurses, hospitals, patient advocates, insurers, and employers for a 3-year project that will help spread the lessons of successful quality improvement initiatives across the country and provide tools for health care providers.

Many hospitals have already had success in reducing readmissions or nearly eliminating hospital-acquired infections, but those initiatives haven’t been adopted widely enough, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said at an April 12 press conference to launch the Partnership for Patients.

"The challenge is how to figure out how to make these models spread and accelerate this care improvement," she said.

The goal of the program is to reduce preventable hospital-acquired conditions by 40% compared to 2010 rates by the end of 2013. And officials are also seeking to reduce hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge by 20% compared to 2010. HHS officials estimate that the quality initiative will save 60,000 lives and up to $35 billion in health care costs, including up to $10 billion for Medicare alone.

The $1 billion investment of federal funds comes from the Affordable Care Act. HHS officials said they were making $500 million available right away through the Community-Based Care Transitions Program to support efforts to improve care transitions between hospitals and physicians in the community. Starting April 12, hospitals and community-based organizations that team up to provide transition services can submit applications to HHS for funding. An additional $500 million will come from the CMS Innovation Center to fund demonstration projects aimed at reducing hospital-acquired conditions.

Under the Partnership for Patients, HHS officials are asking hospitals to focus on nine types of adverse events including drug reactions, pressure ulcers, childbirth complications, and surgical site infections. HHS officials also plan to recruit a group of "pioneer" hospitals that would seek to improve care for all forms of harm and complications, said Dr. Donald Berwick, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Dr. Berwick said these hospitals would go beyond the list of nine conditions and seek to transform themselves into "safer, high reliability organizations."

"By assembling this partnership and committing to these ambitious goals, we’re sending a clear message that we can no longer accept a health care system in which only some Americans get the best possible care," Ms. Sebelius said.

Federal officials are pouring a $1 billion into a new initiative aimed at reducing hospital readmissions and preventable injuries.

The "Partnership for Patients" brings together physicians, nurses, hospitals, patient advocates, insurers, and employers for a 3-year project that will help spread the lessons of successful quality improvement initiatives across the country and provide tools for health care providers.

Many hospitals have already had success in reducing readmissions or nearly eliminating hospital-acquired infections, but those initiatives haven’t been adopted widely enough, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said at an April 12 press conference to launch the Partnership for Patients.

"The challenge is how to figure out how to make these models spread and accelerate this care improvement," she said.

The goal of the program is to reduce preventable hospital-acquired conditions by 40% compared to 2010 rates by the end of 2013. And officials are also seeking to reduce hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge by 20% compared to 2010. HHS officials estimate that the quality initiative will save 60,000 lives and up to $35 billion in health care costs, including up to $10 billion for Medicare alone.

The $1 billion investment of federal funds comes from the Affordable Care Act. HHS officials said they were making $500 million available right away through the Community-Based Care Transitions Program to support efforts to improve care transitions between hospitals and physicians in the community. Starting April 12, hospitals and community-based organizations that team up to provide transition services can submit applications to HHS for funding. An additional $500 million will come from the CMS Innovation Center to fund demonstration projects aimed at reducing hospital-acquired conditions.

Under the Partnership for Patients, HHS officials are asking hospitals to focus on nine types of adverse events including drug reactions, pressure ulcers, childbirth complications, and surgical site infections. HHS officials also plan to recruit a group of "pioneer" hospitals that would seek to improve care for all forms of harm and complications, said Dr. Donald Berwick, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Dr. Berwick said these hospitals would go beyond the list of nine conditions and seek to transform themselves into "safer, high reliability organizations."

"By assembling this partnership and committing to these ambitious goals, we’re sending a clear message that we can no longer accept a health care system in which only some Americans get the best possible care," Ms. Sebelius said.

Federal officials are pouring a $1 billion into a new initiative aimed at reducing hospital readmissions and preventable injuries.

The "Partnership for Patients" brings together physicians, nurses, hospitals, patient advocates, insurers, and employers for a 3-year project that will help spread the lessons of successful quality improvement initiatives across the country and provide tools for health care providers.

Many hospitals have already had success in reducing readmissions or nearly eliminating hospital-acquired infections, but those initiatives haven’t been adopted widely enough, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said at an April 12 press conference to launch the Partnership for Patients.

"The challenge is how to figure out how to make these models spread and accelerate this care improvement," she said.

The goal of the program is to reduce preventable hospital-acquired conditions by 40% compared to 2010 rates by the end of 2013. And officials are also seeking to reduce hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge by 20% compared to 2010. HHS officials estimate that the quality initiative will save 60,000 lives and up to $35 billion in health care costs, including up to $10 billion for Medicare alone.

The $1 billion investment of federal funds comes from the Affordable Care Act. HHS officials said they were making $500 million available right away through the Community-Based Care Transitions Program to support efforts to improve care transitions between hospitals and physicians in the community. Starting April 12, hospitals and community-based organizations that team up to provide transition services can submit applications to HHS for funding. An additional $500 million will come from the CMS Innovation Center to fund demonstration projects aimed at reducing hospital-acquired conditions.

Under the Partnership for Patients, HHS officials are asking hospitals to focus on nine types of adverse events including drug reactions, pressure ulcers, childbirth complications, and surgical site infections. HHS officials also plan to recruit a group of "pioneer" hospitals that would seek to improve care for all forms of harm and complications, said Dr. Donald Berwick, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Dr. Berwick said these hospitals would go beyond the list of nine conditions and seek to transform themselves into "safer, high reliability organizations."

"By assembling this partnership and committing to these ambitious goals, we’re sending a clear message that we can no longer accept a health care system in which only some Americans get the best possible care," Ms. Sebelius said.

NEW YORK – Researchers will likely have to wait for months before they find out if they can continue studies on the use of nerve growth factor inhibitors in treating osteoarthritis pain, according to Dr. Nancy E. Lane, Endowed Professor of Medicine and Rheumatology at the University of California, Davis, in Sacramento.

Over the past year, the Food and Drug Administration has put on clinical hold nearly all programs for nerve growth factor inhibitor (anti-NGF) development, particularly those related to treating knee pain in osteoarthritis. The agency requested that pharmaceutical manufacturers halt their trials because of reports that study subjects taking the drugs had developed rapidly progressive hip and knee osteoarthritis requiring total joint replacement. A few of those patients also were reported to have had osteonecrosis. The fate of those studies could be determined later this year, when the FDA meets with the pharmaceutical companies involved in developing NGF inhibitors to discuss the issue, Dr. Lane said at a rheumatology meeting sponsored by New York University.

Dr. Lane, who was an investigator for Pfizer’s anti-NGF drug tanezumab, said the drug makers developing these compounds have been studying the possible causes of the adverse effects. The question remains whether the disease progression was due to reduced pain and increased activity, or if the inhibition of NGF compromised blood flow to the bone, resulting in osteonecrosis, she said. Regardless of whether the anti-NGF trials continue, Dr. Lane said understanding the NGF receptor TrkA and how to inhibit it may "bear fruit in the long term."

NEW YORK – Researchers will likely have to wait for months before they find out if they can continue studies on the use of nerve growth factor inhibitors in treating osteoarthritis pain, according to Dr. Nancy E. Lane, Endowed Professor of Medicine and Rheumatology at the University of California, Davis, in Sacramento.

Over the past year, the Food and Drug Administration has put on clinical hold nearly all programs for nerve growth factor inhibitor (anti-NGF) development, particularly those related to treating knee pain in osteoarthritis. The agency requested that pharmaceutical manufacturers halt their trials because of reports that study subjects taking the drugs had developed rapidly progressive hip and knee osteoarthritis requiring total joint replacement. A few of those patients also were reported to have had osteonecrosis. The fate of those studies could be determined later this year, when the FDA meets with the pharmaceutical companies involved in developing NGF inhibitors to discuss the issue, Dr. Lane said at a rheumatology meeting sponsored by New York University.

Dr. Lane, who was an investigator for Pfizer’s anti-NGF drug tanezumab, said the drug makers developing these compounds have been studying the possible causes of the adverse effects. The question remains whether the disease progression was due to reduced pain and increased activity, or if the inhibition of NGF compromised blood flow to the bone, resulting in osteonecrosis, she said. Regardless of whether the anti-NGF trials continue, Dr. Lane said understanding the NGF receptor TrkA and how to inhibit it may "bear fruit in the long term."

NEW YORK – Researchers will likely have to wait for months before they find out if they can continue studies on the use of nerve growth factor inhibitors in treating osteoarthritis pain, according to Dr. Nancy E. Lane, Endowed Professor of Medicine and Rheumatology at the University of California, Davis, in Sacramento.

Over the past year, the Food and Drug Administration has put on clinical hold nearly all programs for nerve growth factor inhibitor (anti-NGF) development, particularly those related to treating knee pain in osteoarthritis. The agency requested that pharmaceutical manufacturers halt their trials because of reports that study subjects taking the drugs had developed rapidly progressive hip and knee osteoarthritis requiring total joint replacement. A few of those patients also were reported to have had osteonecrosis. The fate of those studies could be determined later this year, when the FDA meets with the pharmaceutical companies involved in developing NGF inhibitors to discuss the issue, Dr. Lane said at a rheumatology meeting sponsored by New York University.

Dr. Lane, who was an investigator for Pfizer’s anti-NGF drug tanezumab, said the drug makers developing these compounds have been studying the possible causes of the adverse effects. The question remains whether the disease progression was due to reduced pain and increased activity, or if the inhibition of NGF compromised blood flow to the bone, resulting in osteonecrosis, she said. Regardless of whether the anti-NGF trials continue, Dr. Lane said understanding the NGF receptor TrkA and how to inhibit it may "bear fruit in the long term."

NEW YORK – Researchers will likely have to wait for months before they find out if they can continue studies on the use of nerve growth factor inhibitors in treating osteoarthritis pain, according to Dr. Nancy E. Lane, Endowed Professor of Medicine and Rheumatology at the University of California, Davis, in Sacramento.

Over the past year, the Food and Drug Administration has put on clinical hold nearly all programs for nerve growth factor inhibitor (anti-NGF) development, particularly those related to treating knee pain in osteoarthritis. The agency requested that pharmaceutical manufacturers halt their trials because of reports that study subjects taking the drugs had developed rapidly progressive hip and knee osteoarthritis requiring total joint replacement. A few of those patients also were reported to have had osteonecrosis. The fate of those studies could be determined later this year, when the FDA meets with the pharmaceutical companies involved in developing NGF inhibitors to discuss the issue, Dr. Lane said at a rheumatology meeting sponsored by New York University.

Dr. Lane, who was an investigator for Pfizer’s anti-NGF drug tanezumab, said the drug makers developing these compounds have been studying the possible causes of the adverse effects. The question remains whether the disease progression was due to reduced pain and increased activity, or if the inhibition of NGF compromised blood flow to the bone, resulting in osteonecrosis, she said. Regardless of whether the anti-NGF trials continue, Dr. Lane said understanding the NGF receptor TrkA and how to inhibit it may "bear fruit in the long term."

NEW YORK – Researchers will likely have to wait for months before they find out if they can continue studies on the use of nerve growth factor inhibitors in treating osteoarthritis pain, according to Dr. Nancy E. Lane, Endowed Professor of Medicine and Rheumatology at the University of California, Davis, in Sacramento.

Over the past year, the Food and Drug Administration has put on clinical hold nearly all programs for nerve growth factor inhibitor (anti-NGF) development, particularly those related to treating knee pain in osteoarthritis. The agency requested that pharmaceutical manufacturers halt their trials because of reports that study subjects taking the drugs had developed rapidly progressive hip and knee osteoarthritis requiring total joint replacement. A few of those patients also were reported to have had osteonecrosis. The fate of those studies could be determined later this year, when the FDA meets with the pharmaceutical companies involved in developing NGF inhibitors to discuss the issue, Dr. Lane said at a rheumatology meeting sponsored by New York University.

Dr. Lane, who was an investigator for Pfizer’s anti-NGF drug tanezumab, said the drug makers developing these compounds have been studying the possible causes of the adverse effects. The question remains whether the disease progression was due to reduced pain and increased activity, or if the inhibition of NGF compromised blood flow to the bone, resulting in osteonecrosis, she said. Regardless of whether the anti-NGF trials continue, Dr. Lane said understanding the NGF receptor TrkA and how to inhibit it may "bear fruit in the long term."

NEW YORK – Researchers will likely have to wait for months before they find out if they can continue studies on the use of nerve growth factor inhibitors in treating osteoarthritis pain, according to Dr. Nancy E. Lane, Endowed Professor of Medicine and Rheumatology at the University of California, Davis, in Sacramento.

Over the past year, the Food and Drug Administration has put on clinical hold nearly all programs for nerve growth factor inhibitor (anti-NGF) development, particularly those related to treating knee pain in osteoarthritis. The agency requested that pharmaceutical manufacturers halt their trials because of reports that study subjects taking the drugs had developed rapidly progressive hip and knee osteoarthritis requiring total joint replacement. A few of those patients also were reported to have had osteonecrosis. The fate of those studies could be determined later this year, when the FDA meets with the pharmaceutical companies involved in developing NGF inhibitors to discuss the issue, Dr. Lane said at a rheumatology meeting sponsored by New York University.

Dr. Lane, who was an investigator for Pfizer’s anti-NGF drug tanezumab, said the drug makers developing these compounds have been studying the possible causes of the adverse effects. The question remains whether the disease progression was due to reduced pain and increased activity, or if the inhibition of NGF compromised blood flow to the bone, resulting in osteonecrosis, she said. Regardless of whether the anti-NGF trials continue, Dr. Lane said understanding the NGF receptor TrkA and how to inhibit it may "bear fruit in the long term."

Building on the success of recent efforts to reduce health care–associated infections, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released updated guidelines for the prevention of catheter-related bloodstream infections.

The guidelines were published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, and are available online through the CDC. Last updated in 2002, the guidelines are aimed at health care providers who insert intravascular catheters and those who are responsible for surveillance and control of infections in the hospital, in outpatient settings, and in home health care settings.

They focus on five major areas:

• Educating and training health care providers.

• Using maximal sterile barrier precautions during central venous catheter insertion.

• Avoiding routine replacement of central venous catheters.

• Cleaning skin with chlorhexidine; avoiding routine replacement of central venous catheters.

• Using antiseptic/antibiotic-impregnated short-term central venous catheters and chlorhexidine-impregnated sponge dressings if infection rates are not decreasing through other strategies.

The guidelines were developed by a working group led by scientists at the National Institutes of Health, along with input from several other professional organizations including the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the American College of Chest Physicians, the American Thoracic Society, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).

The guidelines are being released at a critical time, Russell N. Olmsted, APIC president, said in a statement, because starting this year, hospitals must track and report on central line–associated bloodstream infections in their intensive care units or risk losing 2% of their Medicare payments. These data will be published later this year on Medicare’s Hospital Compare Web site. The Department of Health and Human Services has also set a national goal of reducing central line–associated bloodstream infections by 50% by 2013.

"Catheter-related bloodstream infections – like many infections in health care – are now seen as largely preventable," Dr. Naomi O’Grady, of the NIH Clinical Center Critical Care Medicine Department, and the lead author of the guidelines, said in a statement. "Implementation of these critical infection control guidelines is an important benchmark of health care quality and patient safety."

The country is already seeing success in reducing bloodstream infections. Recent data from the CDC showed that the number of central line–associated bloodstream infections occurring in ICUs across the country dropped by about 25,000 or 58% from 2001 to 2009 (MMWR 2011;60:1-6). The prevention of central line–associated bloodstream infections in the ICU resulted in total savings of about $1.8 billion and as many as 27,000 lives saved between 2001 and 2009, according to the CDC.

And a new report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality shows that hospitals participating in the national quality project "On the CUSP: Stop BSI" were able to significantly reduce their central line–associated bloodstream infections. The initial results from adult ICUs in 22 states showed a 35% reduction in central line–associated bloodstream infections. The rates dropped from an average of 1.8 infections per 1,000 central line–days to an average of 1.17 infections per 1,000 central line–days.

Building on the success of recent efforts to reduce health care–associated infections, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released updated guidelines for the prevention of catheter-related bloodstream infections.

The guidelines were published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, and are available online through the CDC. Last updated in 2002, the guidelines are aimed at health care providers who insert intravascular catheters and those who are responsible for surveillance and control of infections in the hospital, in outpatient settings, and in home health care settings.

They focus on five major areas:

• Educating and training health care providers.

• Using maximal sterile barrier precautions during central venous catheter insertion.

• Avoiding routine replacement of central venous catheters.

• Cleaning skin with chlorhexidine; avoiding routine replacement of central venous catheters.

• Using antiseptic/antibiotic-impregnated short-term central venous catheters and chlorhexidine-impregnated sponge dressings if infection rates are not decreasing through other strategies.

The guidelines were developed by a working group led by scientists at the National Institutes of Health, along with input from several other professional organizations including the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the American College of Chest Physicians, the American Thoracic Society, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).

The guidelines are being released at a critical time, Russell N. Olmsted, APIC president, said in a statement, because starting this year, hospitals must track and report on central line–associated bloodstream infections in their intensive care units or risk losing 2% of their Medicare payments. These data will be published later this year on Medicare’s Hospital Compare Web site. The Department of Health and Human Services has also set a national goal of reducing central line–associated bloodstream infections by 50% by 2013.

"Catheter-related bloodstream infections – like many infections in health care – are now seen as largely preventable," Dr. Naomi O’Grady, of the NIH Clinical Center Critical Care Medicine Department, and the lead author of the guidelines, said in a statement. "Implementation of these critical infection control guidelines is an important benchmark of health care quality and patient safety."

The country is already seeing success in reducing bloodstream infections. Recent data from the CDC showed that the number of central line–associated bloodstream infections occurring in ICUs across the country dropped by about 25,000 or 58% from 2001 to 2009 (MMWR 2011;60:1-6). The prevention of central line–associated bloodstream infections in the ICU resulted in total savings of about $1.8 billion and as many as 27,000 lives saved between 2001 and 2009, according to the CDC.

And a new report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality shows that hospitals participating in the national quality project "On the CUSP: Stop BSI" were able to significantly reduce their central line–associated bloodstream infections. The initial results from adult ICUs in 22 states showed a 35% reduction in central line–associated bloodstream infections. The rates dropped from an average of 1.8 infections per 1,000 central line–days to an average of 1.17 infections per 1,000 central line–days.

Building on the success of recent efforts to reduce health care–associated infections, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released updated guidelines for the prevention of catheter-related bloodstream infections.

The guidelines were published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, and are available online through the CDC. Last updated in 2002, the guidelines are aimed at health care providers who insert intravascular catheters and those who are responsible for surveillance and control of infections in the hospital, in outpatient settings, and in home health care settings.

They focus on five major areas:

• Educating and training health care providers.

• Using maximal sterile barrier precautions during central venous catheter insertion.

• Avoiding routine replacement of central venous catheters.

• Cleaning skin with chlorhexidine; avoiding routine replacement of central venous catheters.

• Using antiseptic/antibiotic-impregnated short-term central venous catheters and chlorhexidine-impregnated sponge dressings if infection rates are not decreasing through other strategies.

The guidelines were developed by a working group led by scientists at the National Institutes of Health, along with input from several other professional organizations including the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the American College of Chest Physicians, the American Thoracic Society, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).

The guidelines are being released at a critical time, Russell N. Olmsted, APIC president, said in a statement, because starting this year, hospitals must track and report on central line–associated bloodstream infections in their intensive care units or risk losing 2% of their Medicare payments. These data will be published later this year on Medicare’s Hospital Compare Web site. The Department of Health and Human Services has also set a national goal of reducing central line–associated bloodstream infections by 50% by 2013.

"Catheter-related bloodstream infections – like many infections in health care – are now seen as largely preventable," Dr. Naomi O’Grady, of the NIH Clinical Center Critical Care Medicine Department, and the lead author of the guidelines, said in a statement. "Implementation of these critical infection control guidelines is an important benchmark of health care quality and patient safety."

The country is already seeing success in reducing bloodstream infections. Recent data from the CDC showed that the number of central line–associated bloodstream infections occurring in ICUs across the country dropped by about 25,000 or 58% from 2001 to 2009 (MMWR 2011;60:1-6). The prevention of central line–associated bloodstream infections in the ICU resulted in total savings of about $1.8 billion and as many as 27,000 lives saved between 2001 and 2009, according to the CDC.

And a new report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality shows that hospitals participating in the national quality project "On the CUSP: Stop BSI" were able to significantly reduce their central line–associated bloodstream infections. The initial results from adult ICUs in 22 states showed a 35% reduction in central line–associated bloodstream infections. The rates dropped from an average of 1.8 infections per 1,000 central line–days to an average of 1.17 infections per 1,000 central line–days.