Connecticut proposes bill for public reporting of medical incidents

A proposed bill in Connecticut would eliminate a confidentiality provision to the state's "adverse event" law; a law that keeps hospital-reported medical incidents from being publicly reported until after an official investigation.

According to The Hartford Courant , Connecticut hospitals were ordered to report adverse events in 2002, but in 2004, the law was changed to require that most of these events be investigated before publicly reported. Currently, about three out of four cases are now closed without an investigation. The bill includes a provision that would allow the state Department of Public Health to conduct random audits of hospitals to ensure compliance with the law and violations could bring a fine as high as $10,000.

(SOURCES: Advisory Board Daily Briefing, http://advisory.com, February 18, 2010; The Hartford Courant, http://courant.com, February 16, 2010)