Medical Errors Kill More than Car Accidents | Seattle Car Accident Lawyer
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by: MattCBA
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Heart Disease, Cancer, Stroke, Respiratory Diseases and Accidents (including car accidents) top the list for leading causes of death in the United States, but there is another killer that we are led to believe doesn’t exist- death from medical error. Most individuals feel safe while checking in a hospital for a routine surgery and don’t bat an eye before changing into the hospital gown and wearing the identity bracelet, but over the last decade hospitals have been revealed as a silent killer- sending relatively healthy individuals out of the hospital in body bags.
As an auto accident lawyer, Seattle wrongful death attorney and Bellevue motorcycle accident lawyer, I understand why cars are considered dangerous weapons with 42,000 people dying in fatal car accidents every year. Sadly, there are 200,000 deaths due to medical errors or infections contracted in hospitals that go unreported and unnoticed.
Among the fatal injuries taking unsuspecting lives in hospitals are; operating on the wrong part of the body, physician prescribed drug overdose, accidental cuts and tears to organs during surgery, surgical tools left inside the body, bloodstream infections from improper use of catheters, and MRSA infections. And most of these injuries go unreported to the health department and the public.
This problem was brought to the public’s attention ten years ago in the report “To Err is Human” along with a list of ways to help reduce the occurrence of these deaths. So with all of this knowledge about the growing problem: why do these deaths continue to go unreported?
Inadequate or lack of regulation: Currently, only 20 states out of 50 require hospitals to report medical errors and in the states that do require reporting only a small fraction of instances actually get reported due to lack of enforcement and consequences. Hospitals receive no penalty for withholding information about medical error.
Underfunded Programs: Another great problem is that programs for reporting this data are grossly underfunded. Washington State’s program only has enough budget to fund one staff member and not enough is left over to actually analyze the results and put an annual report together. This problem is prevalent throughout the states requiring reporting: New York’s funds ran out and hasn’t published a report since 2004 and the law in Texas requiring reporting expired in 2007 as did the funds to support the program.
Lack of reason to report is a problem with Doctors who would lose more by reporting the error than benefit. While doctors risk medical malpractice allegations and discipline if errors are reported they alter death certificates to exclude any information that could link medical error to the patient’s death.
The Bottom Line: Another problem with reporting is hospital may lose money. Not only do hospitals not want patients to go to another place for care do to a record of medical errors, but they lose money when procedures are done correctly the first time. One hospital that did the prescribed changed from the report “To Err is Human” reduced the number of re-hospitalizations for cardiac patients by simply ensuring medications were correct. This was great for the patients, but the hospital lost $3.5 million from simply doing things correctly.
Hospital errors lead to a significant number of wrongful deaths every year. If you or someone you know has been effected by a wrongful death please visit our website and reserve your free copy of “In Case of Death: Straight Talk on Wrongful Death”, this book which was written by attorney Patrick J. Kang and myself details the wrongful death claims process and can help you decide if you need a lawyer. This book is FREE to Washington State residents through the link above.
For more information on this growing problem and to read cases from families that have been affected by medical error click on the preceding link.
About the Author
Jason Epstein joined Premier Law Group as a partner in 2007. Jason is a litigator handling all types of personal injury cases with an emphasis on serious plaintiff’s personal injury and insurance coverage. Jason is a member of the Washington State Association for Justice and serves within its leadership. Jason often speaks at CLEs and serves as an arbitrator for both private and mandatory arbitration matters. Jason completed a certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution from the Strauss Institute of Dispute Resolution and the Trial Advocacy program through the National Institute of Trial Advocacy. Jason has been dedicated to representing injured people since 1999. Jason Epstein has been representing individuals against insurance companies and large corporations since 2001. He limits his practice to personal injury and wrongful death cases including auto accidents, motorcycle accidents, or other serious and catastrophic injuries. Hopefully you have already visited StraightTalkLaw.com. This website is loaded with tons of information, and is constantly updated to keep you informed of recent developments. You can also stay up to date by following the blogs which are linked toStraightTalkLaw.com Jason understands that providing the best legal representation to his clients means limiting the number of cases he accepts. He takes fewer cases so he has more time for you. By limiting his caseload, Mr. Epstein is able to give each client and each case the time and attention that they deserve. If you would like to see if your case qualifies for Mr. Epstein to represent you, please contact us throughStraightTalkLaw.com, request one or more of Jason’s books, or call us toll free at (888) 333-1873.
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