Released on = June 19, 2006, 1:47 pm

Press Release Author = Betty Hoeffner

Industry = Healthcare

Press Release Summary = Few of us wake up in the morning expecting to be
hospitalized, yet the Agency for Healthcare reports that 55 percent of all
hospitalizations begin in the emergency room. Are you prepared?

Press Release Body = CHICAGO (June 19, 2006) - Few of us wake up in the morning
expecting to be hospitalized, yet the Agency for Healthcare reports that 55 percent
of all hospitalizations begin in the emergency room. Are you prepared? In this era
of medical errors and hospital acquired infections, do you know how to keep yourself
and your loved ones safe?

Experts recommend viewing a provocative film, \"Things You Should Know Before
Entering the Hospital.\" This 22-minute, step-by-step guide to help people be safe
while hospitalized can help us all prepare for that unexpected, never convenient and
often frightening occurrence of becoming hospitalized.

Some facts:

. The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that as many as 98,000
Americans die each year due to medical errors when hospitalized. (More deaths than
from AIDS, breast cancer or motor vehicle accidents combined.)
. In the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers estimate that staph infections
cause nearly 12,000 deaths each year, costing $9.5 billion in increased hospital
bills.
. Other reports estimate that as many as two million patients contract an infection
from U.S. hospitals or medical centers each year, accounting for 90,000 deaths.

\"This film belongs in everyone\'s medicine cabinet,\" said Leonard Lamkin, executive
director, Chicago Patient Safety Forum, a community-based network dedicated to
understanding and improving patient safety in the Chicago metropolitan area. \"It is
an important film with a powerful message that all consumers need to hear.\"

The production is direct and to the point with caring humor that gives valuable
insight into the potential hazards of the hospitalization experience without
instilling fear or blame. Most significantly, it educates and informs.

\"It\'s an exceptional safety guide for everyone, including healthcare providers\" said
Martin J. Hatlie, Esq., former attorney with the American Hospital Association and
now president, Partnership for Patient Safety, a patient-centered initiative to
advance the reliability of healthcare systems worldwide. \"Human error is a fact in
healthcare just as it is in the rest of life. Doctors, nurses and patients have got
to learn to work as a team and talk openly and honestly about preventing harm. Watch
this film and hear the insightful advice that patients who have encountered medical
error have to offer.\"

A convenient checklist is included with each DVD or VHS so that patients can take it
with them when they go into the hospital. The film addresses questions like: How do
I avoid infection? Why is hand washing so important? Why do I need an advocate? How
can I avoid medication errors? How can I avoid wrong-site surgery?

Things You Should Know Before Entering the Hospital is available on DVD or VHS for
$29.95. A portion of the film\'s sales are donated to Consumers Advancing Patient
Safety, a nonprofit organization working with hospitals to stop medical errors. For
more information, including details for ordering, send an email to
info@patientsafetyvideo.com or visit online at patientsafetyvideo.com. The film is a
first for Four Leaf Enterprises, an independent film production company recognized
this year with a prestigious Telly Award for its solution-based program.

Web Site = http://www.patientsafetyvideo.com

Contact Details = PatientSafetyVideo.com
3750 N. Lake Shore Dr., 16D
Chicago, IL 60613
773 348 8681