Partnership for Patient Safety Joins Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s 100,000 Lives Campaign

CHICAGO, September 28, 2005 - Partnership for Patient Safety (p4ps) announced today a partnership with other leading American healthcare organizations in launching the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s (IHI) 100,000 Lives Campaign. The campaign, which plans to disseminate powerful improvement tools and supporting expertise throughout the American health system, aims to enlist thousands of hospitals and other organizations across the country in a commitment to implement changes in care that have been proven to prevent avoidable deaths. The initiative is the first national effort of its kind with a goal of saving 100,000 lives by June 2006.

“We are very grateful to IHI for developing this focused effort to align all US healthcare providers behind common patient safety strategies,” said Martin J. Hatlie, JD, p4ps President. “We think the 100,000 Lives Campaign could have real impact, and pledge to do all that we can to support it.”

The 100,000 Lives Campaign is starting with six action areas, including:

• Deployment of Rapid Response Teams at the first sign of patient decline;
• Delivering reliable, evidence-based care for acute myocardial infraction to prevent deaths from heart attack;
• Preventing adverse drug events by implementing medication reconciliation;
• Preventing central line infections by implementing a series of interdependent, scientifically grounded steps called the “Central Line Bundle”;
• Preventing surgical site infections by reliably delivering the correct perioperative care; and
• Preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia by implementing a series of interdependent, scientifically grounded steps called the “Ventilator Bundle.”

About Partnership for Patient Safety

Partnership for Patient Safety (p4ps) is a patient-centered initiative to advance the reliability of healthcare systems worldwide. The mission of p4ps is to initiate focused partnerships and joint ventures with organizations and individuals that share its core values and objectives of achieving a healthcare system that is authentically patient-centered and systems-based.

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Contact:

Martin J. Hatlie, JD, President
Partnership for Patient Safety
(312) 274-9695
mhatlie@p4ps.org