Organizations Collaborate to Lower Diagnostic Errors, Ensure Timely Treatment

A new national campaign created by more than 40 health care organizations and patient advocacy groups is aiming to lower the number of diagnostic errors and ensure timely treatment for patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings. The campaign is known as, ACT for Better Diagnosis.

It is estimated that roughly 12 million adult patients are misdiagnosed in outpatient settings, and up to 80,000 deaths in US hospitals often result from incorrect or delayed diagnoses. 

According to the coalition that created the campaign, known as the Coalition to Improve Diagnosis, improving diagnosis requires the cooperation of many different groups and will not happen overnight. The group is the only collaboartion of diverse health care organizations that are focused on improving the diagnositic procress. Together the coalition hopes to find solutions that enhance quality and safety, reduce harm, and ensure better health outcomes for patients. 

The goal of the campaign is to improve the diagnostic process by identifying and spreading practical steps that all members—from patients and physicians to laboratory scientists and health system leaders—throughout the health care system can take. The coalition hopes that by working together, Accuracy, Communication, and Timeliness of diagnosis can be improved.

The campaign has already received support from organizations including the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).

“Quality patient care is at the core of family medicine,” AAFP President Michael Munger, MD, of Overland Park, KS, said in a statement. “Continuity of care, practicing evidence-based medicine and accurate diagnosis are tenets that family physicians are committed to and always improving upon. From the development of clinical practice guidelines and screening recommendations to reducing diagnostic errors, the AAFP will continue to champion accurate and timely diagnosis to improve quality patient care.”

The coalition members include Geisinger, Intermountain Healthcare, MedStar Health, the Association of American Medical Colleges, National Quality Forum, and ECRI Institute. Additionally, the campaign is an initiative of the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine and is supported by the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation and The Mont Fund.

—Julie Gould