Massachusetts Hospital Errors — Amount of Preventable Medical Mistakes Is Staggering

The Boston Globe reported last month on a Department of Public Health (DPH) annual study showing that full-service hospitals in the state reported "821 preventable errors that harmed or endangered patients last year." Some of the top hospital errors reported were:

• Surgical objects left behind (41)
• Operation on wrong body part (24)
• Serious injury or death after a fall (290).

Our own Andrew C. Meyer, Jr. was quoted in the article,

“It’s extraordinary the amount of medical errors and deaths that occur on a yearly basis. Medical error is becoming one of the leading causes of death in Massachusetts.”
      — Andrew Meyer, Attorney

Whether these instances are increasing or decreasing is open for debate, according to the article, Mass. hospitals continue to make preventable mistakes, as definitions for the reporting of serious events has recently changed, and not all errors may be reported.

Full-service hospitals in Mass. reported making 821 preventable errors last year, report says http://t.co/rCJ03U5Kbr pic.twitter.com/2LAjJ6D8Pt

— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) June 11, 2015

How Do Massachusetts Hospitals Compare? 

The Massachusetts Health and Human Services website makes the total number of "Serious Reportable Events" (SREs) by hospital available to the public. Hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers are required to report SREs to the Massachusetts DPH. The law also prohibits hospitals from charging for these events or seeking reimbursement for SRE-related services. Click here to view: Massachusetts Hospital Error Data.

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