(TRENTON) – Legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Herb Conaway, MD, that will combat hospital medical errors was signed into law Monday by Gov. Jon S. Corzine.

 

The law requires the state to publicly report preventable patient errors at New Jersey hospitals, including foreign object left in a body after a medical procedure, postoperative hemorrhage or hematoma, postoperative sepsis, accidental puncture or laceration and surgery performed on the wrong body part or patient.

 

“Hospital-specific reporting will improve patient safety by giving both the government and patients the mean to track preventable medical errors.  Gathering and analyzing data on errors is the first step in developing system-wide processes to reduce such errors as much as possible,” said Conaway (D-Burlington/Camden), a practicing physician.

 

The bill also prohibits hospitals and doctors from charging a patient or insurance company for certain medical errors and hospital-acquired conditions, including:

 

·        Transfusion reaction;

·        Air embolism;

·        Foreign object left during a procedure;

·        Surgery on the wrong side, body part or person; or

·        Wrong surgery performed on a patient.

 

"While it is unusual for patients to be charged for serious, life-altering errors like surgery on the wrong body part," said Conaway.  "The new law appropriately prohibits this practice throughout our state."

 

At Monday’s bill signing, Conaway joined the Governor, AARP leaders, and a local man whose hospital experience highlighted the importance of the new law.