Following a report that thousands of medical errors were reported by California’s hospitals in the last four years, Consumer Watchdog, a national consumer advocacy group, called on Governor Jerry Brown and state health regulators to audit hospitals for failures to report many instances of patient harm and for full public disclosure of these events.
California hospitals are required to report adverse events, like surgery on the wrong body part, surgical items left in patients or unexpected deaths to the Department of Public Health. However, 6,282 unreported adverse events were collected in the past four fiscal years by the California Department of Public Health such as surgery on the wrong body part or unexpected death. It is also estimated that 44,000 Californians die every year because of preventable medical errors. Hospitals need to be accountable for reporting their medical errors and SecondOpinions.com has a plan to help.
At SecondOpinions.com, we offer hospitals and medical facilities independent Quality Assurance (QA) & Peer Review Programs that are implemented to assist with the reduction of medical errors, avoidance of unnecessary procedures and surgeries, improvement in quality of healthcare and overall physician performance. Ultimately, this will make an important difference in patient care, enhance outcomes and lower healthcare costs. We are also uniquely positioned to partner with individual physicians, hospitals and all medical facilities to provide independent, around the clock, second opinion services via our consumer division. Due to the complexities of medicine, this service is invaluable when dealing with time-sensitive, diagnostic challenges or when there is uncertainty as to the course of treatment that is recommended. Consultations are available in all medical specialties and obtaining a second opinion is simple and affordable.
SecondOpinions.com, Quality Assurance Programs are expanded into all areas of medicine, including radiology. With an existing national network of board-certified specialists and subspecialists, SecondOpinions.com possesses the infrastructure to offer Quality Assurance/Peer Review Service on a national and global level. Our expert physicians provide comprehensive feedback, detailed reporting, and offer medico-legal information as part of their communication efforts with referring physicians. This service benefits physicians and medical facilities by enhancing performance and measuring improvement on a quarterly or annual basis.
At SecondOpinions.com, simply upload digital images (MRI, CT etc.) to a HIPAA regulated, secure, confidential platform and receive a report within hours. In addition, doctors in virtually every medical specialty are on standby to provide consultations via phone or video chat. Obtaining a second opinion decreases medical errors, saves lives, and keeps healthcare costs down by preventing unnecessary surgeries and procedures. It also gives patients the peace of mind they need and deserve.
