As many Republicans continue to call for a repeal of President Obama’s health care overhaul, the administration’s top health official is paying a visit to Colorado to highlight a Denver Health program that could help contribute to billions of dollars in savings to Medicaid.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius toured its intensive care unit as part of a visit meant to highlight a provision in the new health care law that aims to stop preventable injuries and complications during in-patient care. These are seen as one factor behind rising health care costs.
Sebelius said Denver Health’s work toward reducing this problem serves as a national model.
"We really have this historic opportunity to look at care delivery and figure out strategies to make sure that we improve it for patients across the country," she said.
As the region’s largest safety net hospital, Denver Health is often lauded for being one of the country’s top high-quality, low-cost facilities.
The Secretary’s visit to Colorado is part of a tour touting the Partnership for Patients provision in the health care overhaul bill. Via millions of dollars in grants, the government has set a goal of lowering the number of hospital-acquired conditions by 40% in the next three years.
