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Kip Piper, MA, FACHE
Healthcare consultant, speaker, and writer. Expert on Medicare, Medicaid, and pharma, biotech, and medical technology industries. President, Health Results Group LLC. Senior advisor to TogoRun, Sellers Dorsey, and Fleishman-Hillard. Visit KipPiper.com. Or email Kip here.
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Twice as Many Medical Mistakes in Canadian Hospitals
posted: May 23, 2004

Surgeons Looking at Patient.jpgCanada’s Socialized health care system may result in cheaper drugs but far more dead patients.


The first major study of patient safety in Canadian hospitals has found an extremely high number of preventable medical errors.



The study, appearing in the next issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, estimates that preventable mistakes in hospitals kill between 9,000 and 24,000 of our Canadian friends each year. That’s roughly twice the unacceptably high error rates found in American hospitals. About 7.5 percent of Canadian inpatients are reportedly injured or killed. However, Dr. Peter Norton, co-author of the of the study, suggests the numbers are probably an “underestimate”.


But never fear. There may yet be a silver lining. The long waiting lists in Canada give patients more time to get their affairs in order. And Canadians can take heart that their hospitals are not nearly as dangerous as those in Australia, Britain, or New Zealand.


Can we finally stop using Canada’s system as a “model” and focus on fixing our superior, albeit flawed, system?

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Consider This
In ancient China, physicians were paid only when their patients were kept well and often not paid if the patient got sick. If a patient died, a special lantern was hung outside the doctor's house. Upon each death, another lantern was added. This is the first known use of the two most powerful drivers for health care performance - incentives and transparency.
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Profile of Kip Piper, MA, FACHE

Healthcare Consultant
President of Health Results Group LLC. Senior counselor with Fleishman-Hillard, the top public relations and communications consultancy. Senior consultant with Sellers Dorsey, influential Medicaid and health reform consultancy. Senior counselor, TogoRun, leading advisors in health care public affairs.

Expertise
Leading authority on Medicare, Medicaid, and health reform. Specialist in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and health plan industry issues. Policy, finance, coverage, reimbursement, health and drug benefits, marketing, business development, innovation, and public affairs.

Strategic Advisor
Advised Fortune 100 companies, pharma and biotech firms, medical device firms, top federal officials, governors, members of Congress, foundations, and foreign leaders. Skilled, creative business and policy strategist and problem solver.

Speaker
Popular speaker at health industry conferences. Topics include Medicare, pharma business issues, Medicaid reform, coverage and reimbursement, and health innovation. Keynotes, seminars, and briefings.

Thought Leader
Testified before Congressional committees, negotiated major legislation, led groundbreaking programs, and designed and implemented numerous health innovations.

Blogger
Editor of the Piper Report, a leading health care blog with thousands of regular readers. Medicare, Medicaid, pharma, biotech, and more. News, advice, solutions, and resources.

Writer
Upcoming books include Medicare and Medicaid from A to Z and MediStrategy: Medicare and Medicaid Business Strategies.

Editor
Business and policy editor of American Health & Drug Benefits, peer reviewed journal for decision makers in health plans, drug plans, PBMs, CMS, states, and large employers, with circulation of 30,000.

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To learn more, please visit Kip at www.kippiper.com.
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