‘Don’t Tell’ Culture a Plague on Health Care

December 7, 2011

‘Don’t Tell’ Culture a Plague on Health Care

By Kevin Kavanagh
Dec 5, 2011; Modified: 1:21pm on Dec 5, 2011

… But the most devastating effect of the lack of full disclosure is on the overall quality of the institution. The Leapfrog Group reported in October 2011 that hospitals that followed a policy of full disclosure had lower patient death rates than those that did not. This may on the surface appear earth-shattering, but it is really just common sense ….

…. One of the surprising findings of full disclosure is that besides being the moral thing to do, it also lowers the institution’s malpractice expenses. Stanford University Hospitals recently observed a 36 percent drop in malpractice claims and saved $3.2 million since adopting a policy of full disclosure in 2007.
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