Here’s a Bloomberg look at a new program called Communication and Optimal Resolution, or Candor, being promoted by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). It’s meant to save hospitals money on malpractice lawsuits while encouraging more rigorous scrutiny of what went wrong and to help patients, families and clinicians cope with traumatic events.
Bloomberg reports: “Hospitals are supposed to complete the investigation within about two months and share the findings with the patients. At that time, they’ll discuss how to prevent future incidents. If the inquiry determines the harm resulted from a breach in the standard of care, something a lawyer might call negligence, the hospital and patient will negotiate financial compensation.”
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As this Bloomberg article explains it: “Under Candor, when a case involving patient harm is identified, trained hospital staff tell victims or their families what happened within one hour. At the same time, they reach out to caregivers. The hospital stays in touch with patients and relatives as the event is investigated and interviews them about what happened. It also pauses its billing process so injured patients or grieving families aren’t dealing with the cost of care received, an emotionally fraught experience when that ‘care’ injured or killed a loved one.”
