Quality of Care: New Study Finds That Medical Errors Are Third Leading Cause of Death in U.S.
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law
A new study by patient safety researchers revealed that common medical errors are now the third leading cause of death in the U.S., after heart disease and cancer. Their analysis, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) on May 3, 2016, contends that “medical errors” in hospitals and other health care facilities are incredibly common and may now be the third-leading cause of death in the United States — claiming 251,000 lives every year, more than respiratory disease, accidents, stroke and Alzheimer’s.
The Blame Game: From Bad Doctors to Systemic Issues.
Dr. Martin Makary, a surgical director at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine who led the research in this case, said in an interview that the category of “medical errors” includes everything from bad doctors to […]