[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 50 (Monday, April 29, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E651]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E651]]



    IN RECOGNITION OF HOSPITAL FOR SPECIAL SURGERY IN NEW YORK CITY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 29, 2002

  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I wish to recognize the 
Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), founded and located in New York 
City, for receiving the first New York State Hospital Patient Safety 
Award for their superior effort to reduce medical errors. At a time 
when more attention is being paid to this area, the New York Department 
of Health created the award to promote measures to increase overall 
patient safety, and I am pleased that HSS has been the recipient of 
such an esteemed award.
  Founded in 1863, the Hospital for Special Surgery is a world leader 
in orthopedics, rheumatology and rehabilitation. While the Hospital has 
monitored medication variances for many years, in July 2000 it began a 
project that required simple changes that yielded significant results. 
By asking doctors to use ballpoint pens, fax original requests and 
replace old fax machines, the program resulted in an astounding 97.6 
percent decline in the number of illegible orders received in the 
pharmacy from November 2000 to December 2001.
  These types of innovative developments of methodology and technology 
have resulted in the Hospital being consistently ranked among the top 
three orthopedic and rheumatology centers in the nation in US News & 
World Report's annual survey of America's best hospitals. To date, 
their emphasis has been on development of orthopedic devices, such as 
total joint replacements. For example, the first modern knee 
replacement was developed at HSS, a landmark innovation that has 
benefited the lives of millions of patients around the world. In 
efforts to continue to make strides in this important area of research, 
the Hospital for Special Surgery is establishing a National Center for 
Musculoskeletal Research.
  HSS has also uniquely collaborated with education programs at Cornell 
University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, City College of New York, 
and others that partner scientists and clinicians with faculty and 
students in mechanical engineering, materials science, civil 
engineering, veterinary medicine, and statistics to bring its 
biomedical advances to the bedside.
  For these reasons and many others, the Department of Health for the 
United Kingdom of Great Britain has called upon HSS to train and mentor 
their physicians in order to improve orthopedic services in their 
countries. Currently, patients in Great Britain must wait 18 months 
before they may receive hip, knee or joint replacements, of which more 
than 70 percent require the use of a cane for more than a year after 
surgery. It is truly an honor for New York to have the Hospital for 
Special Surgery to be identified by the British healthcare system as a 
mentor and model for addressing this health challenge.
  I applaud the Hospital for Special Surgery's commitment to better 
document, track and administer prescribed medications to patients and 
strongly support their efforts to identify and remedy one of the most 
preventable threats to patient safety. I am very supportive of the 
Hospital's National Center for Musculoskeletal Research, as its 
establishment will continue to pursue breakthroughs in researching the 
orthopedic and rheumatological conditions that affect millions of 
Americans.

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