The July meeting of HealthTechNet occurred on July 17, 2001, and featured a
presentation by Suzanne DelBanco, Executive Director of The Leapfrog Group.
The Leapfrog Group is an outgrowth of the Business Roundtable, and was
formed by its member companies in an effort to address the growing concern
among the nation's employers about medical errors in hospitals. Ms.
DelBanco's presentation focused on the desires of the Group's members to
influence safety in a positive way for its employees. In particular,
members are encouraging hospitals to undertake three initiatives to improve
safety, as follows:
- Physician Order Entry
- Full time Intensivists (Intensive Care Specialists) in Hospitals, and
- High Volume for specific cases.
Although members do not pay dues to join the Leapfrog Group, they must
commit to developing specific policies to encourage these initiatives.
The Leapfrog Group has encouraged the development of regional "pilots" to
demonstrate these initiatives, including Atlanta and California, among other
locations. No initiatives are currently underway in the
Washington-Baltimore area, but the group would welcome a dialog to encourage
local initiatives.