skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina s congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Myorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Medical Errors Take a Horrendous Toll

play audio
Play

Thursday, January 13, 2011   

RALEIGH, N.C. - Every year, 180,000 Americans die because of medical errors, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - and that's just among those eligible for Medicare. The report says the number of deaths has been steadily increasing for the past 10 years.

Trial lawyer Nicholas Timko says if that death toll seems shocking, it's because people don't usually see the big picture when it comes to fatal medical mistakes.

"We have the effect of a Boeing 747 crashing and killing all its passengers almost every day. If that were to happen in real life, people would be outraged."

Timko says more could be done to prevent mistakes, such as setting up better record-keeping and information sharing.

Christine Hines, consumer and civil Justice counsel with the Washington, D.C.-based group Public Citizen, says Congress and the federal agencies should treat the new report as a wake-up call.

"We would support a national error-reporting database, where medical providers would be able to look at where the errors are and develop best practices."

A study published in the "New England Journal of Medicine" found that hospital quality initiatives over the past decade have not made progress in reducing medical errors. Timko sees the finding as proof that the voluntary approach is not working.

"We need aggressive oversight to make sure that hospitals and doctors are using proven safety steps. Unfortunately, many hospitals don't have that oversight, and they're not concerned about it."

In addition to the human toll, Timko points out that medical errors cost the nation's taxpayers more than $4 billion a year in additional Medicare payments.

The "New England Journal of Medicine" report is available at www.nejm.org.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021