Hospital Errors
Report: Millions of Hospital Errors Threaten Americans
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April 4th, 2007
"Hospital Error Report"
Almost three percent of all patients in American hospitals may be the victims of hospital errors, a new study found.
The report also found that about one in four of the patients that do experience a hospital mistake will die from it.
The Study
The study, conducted by HealthGrades, an independent health care rating company, looked at 40 million Medicare hospitalization records from 2003 to 2005.
The study found that 1.16 million “patient safety incidents” that were preventable occurred in those three years. This means that about one in every 34 patients experience a health problem caused by something at the hospital.
The study found that as a result of these preventable problems, 247,662 patients died.
These findings add to the growing body of evidence suggesting that
“Despite the flurry of research, publications and process improvement activity that has occurred since the [Institute of Medicine] report, there is a growing consensus that not much progress has been made, leading to a visible national impact,” wrote the study authors.
Other Costs
It's not just lives these mistakes are costing. The study found that mistakes cost the hospitals $8.6 billion over the three years. Some of the most common mistakes were also the most costly.
The Growing Problem
The study brings to light the startling reality that a significant percentage of hospitalized Americans face life-threatening hospital mistakes each year.
The number of patients suffering hospital errors can “absolutely be extrapolated” to the general U.S. hospital patient population, said co-author of the study and spokesperson for HealthGrades, Kristin Reed.
“These are patient safety events, so these are events that should not happen, ever.”
Victim of a medical mistake? Please contact us today for a free consultation with an experienced medical malpractice attorney who may be able to help you recover compensation for your pain, suffering, medical expenses and more.
