HHS Secretary joins St. Paul’s Regions Hospital to highlight Partnership for Patients

On Thursday, June 2, 2011, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will join hospital officials, doctors, patients, and other key health care advocates at Regions Hospital to highlight the Partnership for Patients. Launched on April 12th, the partnership will help save 60,000 lives by stopping millions of preventable injuries and complications in patient care over the next three years and has the potential to save up to $35 billion, including up to $10 billion for Medicare. Over the next ten years, it could reduce costs to Medicare by about $50 billion and result in billions more in Medicaid savings. The Partnership will support these efforts with up to a $1 billion investment made possible by the Affordable Care Act.

Already, more than 1,500 hospitals, as well as physicians and nurses organizations, consumer groups, and employers - totaling more than 3,000 partners have pledged their commitment to this initiative. Among partners committed to patient safety, Regions Hospital and HealthPartners are national leaders in the efforts to ensure that patients receive the highest quality of care. This event is the third in a series of hospital visits around the country the Secretary will make to highlight models of excellence as a part of the Partnership for Patients.