Medical Mistakes and Low-Rated Hospitals
Lower-ranked U.S. hospitals have increased medical risks for patients. These risks relate to medical mistakes, deadly infections, and serious safety omissions as a new study shows.
Specifically, this study is based on data collected from about 2,600 U.S. hospitals since 2016. It estimates that around 160,000 lives are lost annually from avoidable medical errors. This study is based on information shared from Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade.
Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is a non-profit that issues hospital grades based on safety and quality. The assigned grades range from A to F. The CEO of the group, Leah Binder, says that nearly all of the mistakes they track are preventable. “These are avoidable deaths – the deaths that are accidental or the result of a mistake made in the hospital,” she said.
Furthermore, this analysis found that D and F hospitals carry nearly twice the risk of mortality of A hospitals. The conclusions show the potential reduction of fatalities by 50,000 lives. In order to accomplish this, hospitals should maintain the same standards as A-grade hospitals.
What the findings reveal is that some of the nation’s most dangerous medical centers have become even riskier for patients.
Mercy Medical Center – West Lakes in West Des Moines received a “D” safety grade. Additionally, Sartori Memorial Hospital in Cedar Falls also received a “D” safety grade. In conclusion, patients at these hospitals faced a 92% greater risk of suffering an avoidable death.
Visit https://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/your-hospitals-safety-grade/LivesLost to see how our local hospital performed in the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade.
Top Medical Mistakes Found During the Study
Studies have found that medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in the United States. The top medical mistakes found during this study are the following:
- Medication Errors: Medication mistakes can happen when a patient receives the wrong medication, the wrong dosage of their medication, or simply does not receive their medication at all.
- Surgical Mistakes: Surgical mistakes include things like having the wrong body part being operated on, patients receiving the wrong surgery or surgical instruments left inside the body during operation.
- Diagnosing Mistakes: Diagnosing errors are defined as the failure to establish an accurate and timely explanation of the patient’s health problems or communicate that explanation to the patient.
- Infections: Approximately one in every 30 hospital patients in the US acquires an infection during their visit. All hospital staff should follow strict infection control policies to protect patients from acquiring infections.
Medical Malpractice Lawyers in Iowa
At Galligan Law, we help the victims of medical errors and other types of personal injury. Our Iowa medical malpractice attorneys and dedicated staff bring broad experience, expertise, care and commitment to each medical malpractice case we take on. If you are in need of a medical malpractice lawyer in Iowa, give us a call today at 515-316-6179.