Report: Costly medical errors prevail in health care system

Ten years ago, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) reported that as many as 98,000 Americans die every year from preventable medical errors. The startling number prompted a rush of congressional hearings and promises of reform. In a report released this week, Consumers Union's Safe Patient Project highlights the lack of progress made since the IOM's 1999 report and criticized the lack of progress in implementing measures to eliminate medical errors.

In the new report, Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, says that reducing medical errors and hospital infections would not only improve patient care and outcomes, but would also save significant health-care costs. "There is little evidence to suggest that the number of people dying from medical harm has dropped since the IOM first warned about these deadly mistakes a decade ago," said Lisa McGiffert, Director of Consumers Union's Safe Patient Project. "That means a million lives and billions of dollars have been lost over the past ten years because our health-care system failed to adopt key reforms recommended by the IOM to protect patients. As the debate over health care heats up in Washington, Congress should make sure that improving patient safety is a central part of any reform legislation it adopts."

We've previously reported on alarming medical error and hospital infection rates. A recent Consumer Reports National Research Center survey found that nearly one in five Americans say that they or a family member have acquired a dangerous infection following a medical procedure or hospital stay, and 60 percent of those say the infection was severe or life-threatening. And fifty-three percent said these infections required additional out-of-pocket expenses to treat the infection.

Consumers Union's Safe Patient Project aims to eliminate hospital-acquired infections, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) by making the hospital infection and error rates public, and urging lawmakers to introduce legislation to address the problem. If you've been affected by medical errors or hospital-acquired infections, share your story and sign the petition to make medical errors public.

—Ginger Skinner

Read the full report, "To Err is Human—To Delay is Deadly"* and see our tips on how to reduce your risk of acquiring a hospital infection.