Medicare is now publishing information on medical errors to allow the public to compare the safety records of more than 4,700 hospitals nationwide.
The government health plan officially released data Wednesday which details occurrences of eight serious and preventable medical errors. Since 2008, Medicare has not reimbursed hospitals for the care incurred by theses specific events — including air bubbles in the bloodstream, falls, bedsores, infusions with the wrong blood type, urinary tract infections, blood infections, uncontrolled blood-sugar levels and foreign objects left in the body after surgery.
According the the medicare report, falls are the most common preventable injury in hospitals, at one for every 2,000 patient stays. Severe bedsores or pressure ulcers are the next most common preventable event. The federal government estimates that 180,000 Medicare recipients die each year from hospital mistakes. For more, read the story.
Robert W. Carter, Jr. is a Virginia attorney whose law practice is dedicated to protecting the rights of the victims of nursing home and assisted living neglect and abuse in Richmond, Roanoke, Norfolk, Lynchburg, Danville, Charlottesville, and across Virginia.
