The Obama administration awarded $23.2 million in grants to local government agencies and medical providers in 16 states to use on projects aimed at improving patient safety. President Obama and his administration hope that these newly allocated funds will assist in curbing the amount of medical malpractice suits that are filed each year but more importantly ensure the safest and highest quality of health care available for citizens. Ohio State University in Columbus was one of the hospitals chosen to receive this grant.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Pres. Obama awarded these funds as a follow through to a promise made to Republicans in Congress last fall. During the health care debate last year, Republicans criticized the president for not confronting the rising cost of medical liability lawsuits within his proposed health care bill.

Seven of the grants will go to three-year demonstration projects that will test innovations such as making medical procedures more uniform and offering immediate compensation to individuals that are affected by medical malpractice.

The remaining 13 grants are for one year planning initiatives to develop legislation to "curb lawsuits, reduce patient suicides and develop a legislative proposal that will define a legal standard of care for health-care providers."

Despite what seems widespread support for these measures, some Democrats and Republicans alike are not completely on-board with this approach by the Obama Administration. Only time will tell if the program will positively impact on the quality of medical care for patients in those states.  

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