On Sept. 17, CDC launched “Core Elements of Hospital Diagnostic Excellence Programs.” According to a press release shared with Healthcare Purchasing News, the CDC is collaborating with the Agency for Healthcare Research Quality (AHRQ), and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to release resources for hospitals to improve the accuracy and timeliness of a patient’s diagnosis to provide better treatment and save lives.
The press release states that “Nearly 800,000 Americans die or are permanently disabled because of diagnostic errors made in hospitals each year. It’s the single largest source of serious harm from medical mistakes.”
The new resources include core elements of hospital diagnostic excellence programs, hospital diagnostic excellence assessment tools, and a medical test checklist for hospitalized patients and their caregivers.