Well, sometimes the federal government can surprise us all. Many of you probably know by now that the Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP) — which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services — has reversed its position prohibiting the use of health care checklists unless every patient signed a waiver permitting their use. Since the primary use of these lists to date had been in ensuring safe and effective use of C-lines in ICUs, that seemed like kind of a high standard. And more importantly, they appear to improve safety, save lives and reduce costs — a triple play that’s often hard to find in today’s health care world.

I wrote about this hoo-hah in two previous blogs (part I and part II). I’m happy to report that the feds not only permit the use of checklists — they’re now ENCOURAGING the use of checklists.

Whoopee!

Posted by: Charlie Baker in Care Management, Health Care Costs, Health Care Quality