How Protected are we from Medical Malpractice

According to the Journal of Patient Safety, each year in the United States between 210,000 and 400,000 people die from preventable medical errors.

Medical malpractice is the third leading cause of death in our country behind heart disease and cancer, which doesn’t even include those who suffer life-altering, permanent injuries from medical malpractice. And the government is doing very little to protect the American public.

The only legislation the congress is working on passing is actually reforms to protect how much multi-million dollar insurance companies actually have to pay out to victims. In fact, tort reform such as this does not make hospitals safer; just insurance companies wealthier.

Hospitals are becoming more and more dangerous, and the number of people dying each year from preventable medical errors continues to rise. Hospitals must be required to disclose their morbidity and mortality rates so patients can make informed decisions as to which doctor or hospital treats them. And we must hold hospitals and doctors accountable for their errors.

The only way to make hospitals safer is by holding them financially accountable for their conduct. Unfortunately, studies show that approximately 90 percent of medical malpractice incidents go unreported. Hospitals must take this issue seriously; they must acknowledge their shortcomings and work to fix them. Otherwise innocent people will continue dying.