Kennedy asks again about HHS patient-safety data delay

I'm guessing Sen. Kennedy is losing patience by this point. For the third time in just one year, Kennedy has written a letter asking why the heck HHS hasn't filed regs which would implement a 2005 law creating patient-safety organizations that collect and analyze healthcare facility data. Sen. Kennedy has asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate what's going on over there, after HHS failed to respond adequately to the two requests he made in 2007. Kennedy, along with the Joint Commission and the American Medical Association, are pressing HHS to implement the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005. So far, only tomblike silence from HHS on why nothing's happened yet.

To find out more about the problem:
- read this Modern Healthcare piece [1] (reg. req.)

Related Articles:
Kennedy goads HHS to move ahead with safety monitoring. Report [2]
WA governor proposes tougher patient safety rules. Report [3]
Study: U.S. health consumers demand transparency. Report [4]
Transparency takes center stage. Report [5]
Reassessing healthcare transparency. Report [6]