A report from the Iowa Healthcare Collaborative (IHC) claims hospitals across the state that participate in a program designed to reduce medical errors prevented potential harm to more than 43-hundred (4,300) patients last year. Scott McIntyre, spokesman for the Iowa Hospital Association, says the effort is part of the federal Partnership for Patients initiative, with the goals of reducing harm by 40 percent and hospital re-admissions by 20 percent.

“We just feel there’s been very positive and noteworthy progress,” McIntrye says. “In reality, we’re keeping people out of the hospital…and we’re saving lives.” The report estimates at least 32 lives were saved in Iowa in 2013 because of the Hospital Engagement Network (HEN). The Iowa-based HEN, which includes 12 hospitals in Illinois and Nebraska, also reduced health care costs, according to McIntrye.

“Our estimate is about 51-million dollars was saved because of the improvements in these quality measures,” McIntyre says. In addition to reducing costs, McIntyre says the Iowa HEN reduced the time that patients spent in the participating hospitals by 17,758 days. The report also claims participating hospitals reduced early elective baby deliveries (which can increase complications) by 90 percent; catheter associated urinary tract infections by 44 percent; adverse drug events by 28 percent; central line-associated blood stream infections in intensive care by 24 percent; surgical site infections by 24 percent; patient falls by 23 percent; and avoidable re-admissions by 11 percent.

(Radio Iowa)

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Repairs and improvements on Council Bluffs river and creek levees could cost the city $50 million. The Daily Nonpareil says the estimate comes from a study on the work needed to repair river and creek levees to meet federal standards.

City engineer Matt Cox says the improvements are necessary to have the Federal Emergency Management Agency certify that the city’s levee systems are adequate. Without that certification, FEMA would redraw its city maps to show the entire west side of the city could be prone to flooding. And Cox says that would force property owners there to pay high flood insurance rates.

Cox intends to ask the City Council today (Monday) to approve hiring an engineering firm to oversee the work.

SALIX, Iowa (AP) – A submerged pickup has been found at Snyder Bend Park near Salix in northwest Iowa.  The Sioux City Journal says a park ranger spotted the truck around 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

Sgt. Don Armstrong of the Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office says the pickup belonged to Ronald Mathison, of Sioux City. Mathison told officers that he’d been ice fishing Saturday night when the ice started to break up beneath him and the truck. He was able to get away before the truck plunged into the water.

Recovery of the truck could come as early as today (Monday).