Stanford University Hospital is one of the medical centers that focuses on finding out what went wrong instead of using a “deny and defend” approach. Share on Pinterest Aside from babies being born, a hospital isn’t usually associated with joyous occasions. More often, patients are admitted because something is wrong. And for some, things don’t go as planned. When that occurs, the experience of sorting out what exactly happened can be as traumatic as the procedure itself. In some cases, family members are left to pick up the pieces after a loved one dies. Hospitals can sometimes build a wall of denial when things do go wrong. For decades, many have employed a “deny and defend” approach, backed by powerful litigation teams. But today, a handful of hospitals around the country are using a reverse tactic to deal with medical errors. It’s a more open and communicative method that focuses on finding out what went wrong and apologizing if the hospital is at fault. Compensation, when warranted, is also part of the deal. Read More: The Future of Healthcare Could Be in Concierge Medicine »

Program at Stanford For seven years now, Stanford University Hospital has used the program PEARL (Process for Early Assessment and Resolution Learning) as a means to investigate all matters involving “concerning outcomes,” according to Jeffrey Driver, chief executive officer of The Risk Authority Stanford and chief risk officer of Stanford Healthcare and Stanford Children’s Health. “It was initially focused on personal and financial loss,” Driver told Healthline. “But it’s really about these situations and learning from them. Our overarching goal is make our patients whole and not shortchange them.” The program encompasses the entire Stanford Healthcare system, including its diagnostic and rehabilitation centers, the two hospitals, and the more than 3,000 physicians. Today the program boasts what can best be described as two tracks for patients and families to get answers — and compensation. The first is medical error, what Driver calls their indemnity program. The other is geared toward complications that usually result in compensation of no more than $5,000. That is called PEARL Care. Patients who use the PEARL process are also not giving up their right to sue the hospital, should they not agree with the outcome. Patients, nurses, and doctors are all encouraged to report an issue, should they feel it’s warranted in a medical care situation. Once a PEARL file is opened, an internal evaluation is conducted and then sent to an independent outside medical expert for analysis. If the findings aren’t consistent, further expertise will be pursued. Throughout the process, a patient liaison is in contact with the patient and/or patient’s family, providing updates along the way. Staff has support throughout as well. Stanford doesn’t release the number of cases that have funneled through PEARL, but they do say that malpractice suits have dropped by 50 percent, defense costs by 24 percent, and indemnity paid by 27 percent. Stanford is one of a handful of hospitals across the country that has adopted a more transparent form of communication for when things go wrong. The first of its kind started at the University of Michigan, now known as the Michigan Model. The University of Illinois, University of Washington, and Bay State Hospitals in Massachusetts all have programs in varying degrees that address transparency, communication, and compensation for patients. Read More: We May Need an Additional 90,000 Doctors by 2025 »