CCNA E-Alert: New HHS Health Care Partnership to Improve Patients' Hospital Outcomes

Abstract

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius this week announced funding for Partnership for Patients: Better Care, Lower Costs, a new program that brings together major hospitals, employers, health plans, physicians, nurses, and patient advocates, in a collaborative effort to support efforts to help keep patients safe, improve care, and reduce costs.

The program encourages community-based organizations to partner with eligible hospitals to help patients safely transition between the various care-settings. Funding for the new initiative is available through the Affordable Care Act's Community-based Care Transitions Program and the Innovation Center, which supports new projects that identify and promote best practices for reducing hospital-acquired illnesses.

Nurses, and other members of the care team, make significant contributions as health care leaders. They are critical to ensuring that safe, quality health care is consistently provided in hospitals and other settings. The recently released Institute of Medicine report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, underscores the integral role of nurses in promoting health and preventing medical errors in hospitals, clinics and everywhere patients are treated.

The recommendations in the report are a testament to the value of nurses in ensuring patient safety and encourage interprofessional collaboration and patient-centered teams that incorporate the skills and talents of all health professionals.

Press Release.

Learn more about the Partnership for Patients.