Medical Errors

The thing we see cited among the top causes of death is medical errors, also known in the literature as “preventable adverse events.” That means when medical personnel do the wrong thing, or fail to do the right thing, or do the right thing, but do it wrong. This can often take the form of misdiagnosis, or miscommunication between various healthcare providers, or between providers and patient. Medical errors are the third leading cause of death in America.

Top Three Most Costly Medical Errors

The following are annual numbers from 2008 for preventable medical errors. The first one is usually from not turning patients in bed.

1. Pressure ulcers - 374,964 errors, $10,288 per error, $3.86 billion total.
2. Postoperative infections - 252,695 errors, $14,548 per error, $3.68 billion total.
3. Mechanical complication of a device, implant, or graft - 60,380 errors, $18,771 per error, $1.13 billion total.