Medical errors: What hospitals can learn from one state's new approach

Recently, state patient safety officials in Massachusetts released a report detailing the impact of medical errors in hospitals: The Financial and Human Cost of Medical Error.

According to the report, although the state’s done well with improving the safety of patients in its hospitals, the risk of death and injury from medical error is still a significant concern. And it becomes even more pressing when factoring in other settings where patients receive care, such as primary care practices, skilled nursing facilities – and even in their own homes.

In Massachusetts alone, there were nearly 62,000 preventable events that harmed patients in 2017. These events directly caused more than $617 million in insurance payouts – or just over 1% of the state’s total healthcare expenses for that year.

Errors have long-lasting effects on many of the patients who experience them. The writers of the report reached out to over 200 patients in the state who’d survived a medical error and conducted in-depth interviews with them about their experiences.