Pennsylvania Governor Signs Four Health-Care Bills That Will Reduce Costs, Improve Access a...(set last year without legislative reauth...),Health

A study in the August 2008 American Journal of Medical Quality estimated that PHC4's public reporting process prevented 1,500 deaths in one year in just six disease and treatment categories. PHC4's own findings show improvements in hospital care over the past 12 years of public reporting have saved an estimated 49,000 lives and $1.7 billion in hospital charges. Since PHC4's public reporting of heart surgeries began, the mortality rate for heart bypass surgery in Pennsylvania has dropped 51.7 percent.

PHC4's first-in-the-U.S. public report quantified the cost and associated deaths from hospital-acquired infections, and resulted in Act 52 of 2007 which addressed infection prevention and reduction. After the first year of implementation of Act 52, the infection rate in PA hospitals dropped 7.8 percent resulting in an estimated savings of $372 million.

SB 89 was sponsored by Sen. Patricia H. Vance (R) and a similar bill, HB 173, was sponsored in the House by Majority Leader Rep. Todd A. Eachus (D).

More information on the new Mini COBRA bill can be found at http://www.ins.state.pa.us/ins/cwp/view.asp?a=1274&Q=550035&PM=1 and information on insurance for adult dependent children is at http://www.ins.state.pa.us/ins/lib/ins/consumer/brochures/SB_189_061009.pdf.

The Rendell administration is committed to creating a first-rate public education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens and continuing economic investment to support our communi
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