Report: Medicare errors will soon be released to patients

Tuesday, January 2nd 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) _ Federal health officials say they will soon allow Medicare beneficiaries to obtain information about doctors who may have made errors, a move that reverses a policy that has kept medical mistakes secret for more than 20 years, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

Under new Department of Health and Human Services rules, patients will be told if their care met professionally recognized standards and if there has been any action against their doctors or hospitals.

Patients could use the information against the health care providers in lawsuits or other actions alleging substandard treatment, the paper said.

Under current federal law, a group of medical quality experts informs the patient of the final disposition of the complaint but can only release information about a doctor with the doctor's consent.

The new policy, which eliminates the doctors' veto power, comes in response to a lawsuit against the federal government by the son of a Medicare patient who died in a Jacksonville, Fla., hospital six days after being admitted because of an asthma attack.

The Department of Health and Human Services recently told the Florida review organization to release the information to the patient's son, whose lawsuit is still pending, and said it would change the Medicare policy to help other people obtain health care information.