US to research into deaths through medical error

Speaking at a White House meeting on Tuesday, Clinton said, quot;This is about far more than dollars or statistics. It8217;s about the toll that such errors take on people8217;s lives and on their faith in our health care system.quot;

The president said he had asked the commission on consumer protection and quality care to quot;set the stage for the Congress to pass a strong, enforceable patients8217; bill of rights,quot; and to respond within 60 days on how to act on IOM recommendations.

quot;I8217;m directing my budget and health care teams to develop quality and patient safety initiatives for next year8217;s budget so that we can ensure we8217;re doing all we can to combat this problem,quot; said Clinton. quot;I want next year8217;s budget to provide the largest investment to eliminate medical errors, improve quality, and enhance patient safety.quot;

In its 223-page report the IOM put forward a series of measures it said could reduce the number of deaths by half, also sparing some of the 8.8 billion dollar bill.