Personal Injury Law

Medical errors prevalent in recent years

By Ryan Bradley, Esq.

A couple weeks ago, we commented on a Harvard study that concluded that malpractice insurance and defensive medicine make up a small percentage of overall healthcare costs. Those wanting to cut costs significantly will have to find another way besides tort reform. Another recent study shows that the really costly aspect of our system is the medical errors that malpractice suits and defensive medicine are meant to prevent. Here are some of the major findings:

-According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, nearly 7,000 people die from medication problems including misprescribed pills and dosage errors.

-83,000 people die in hospitals every year of causes that have been labeled "potentially preventable".

-Some people are not getting enough care while others may actually be getting too much. Overall, Americans are receiving about half the recommended care annually, which includes basic checkups and preventive medicine. At the same time, 30% of people may be receiving care they don't need or is unnecessary.

That last statistic is especially troublesome. The groups of people that are not getting the recommended care are likely less healthy, and the people receiving extra care are driving prices up. Additionally, excessive healthcare is not necessarily "better" as certain treatments have significant negative side effects.

It would appear that if you want to lower costs, rather than limit the civil courts system, it should be allowed to hold negligent doctors and hospitals accountable for errors that drive up prices as well as take a terrible human toll. If you or someone you love has been injured by a medical error and you would like to receive legal counsel, contact a St. Louis medical malpractice attorney as soon as possible.

Full post as published by Missouri Accident Lawyer Blog on November 13, 2010 (boomark / email).