Massachusetts Personal Injury Library

Medical Malpractice: What Is Being Done to Reduce Surgical Errors?

Since medical malpractice lawsuits are often based on deviations from accepted care standards, strengthening those criteria can help solve problems. Making doctors and other providers more aware of best practices should reduce mistakes in diagnosis, treatment, and aftercare.

Having a uniform measure of the quality of care will also aid attorneys in weeding out unscrupulous or inept surgeons and recovering damages for victims.

Safest Hospital Alliance

Several respected hospital systems in the U.S. are pursuing a more stringent standard under the title of “Safest Hospital Alliance”.

They claim that implementing it could reduce health care costs by nearly one-third of the current figures. Benchmarks involve entire health care teams and management, because medical mistakes are often due to miscommunication, not just incompetence or negligence.

Medical professionals have a financial and ethical stake in cutting the incidence of error.

With 10% of overall medical expenditures going to purchase malpractice insurance, eliminating errors is in the best interest of all but doctors’ insurers.

Hospitals and HMO facilities routinely review their margin of error for patterns or areas that can benefit from internal regulations.

Companies and self-employed workers cannot shoulder these bills indefinitely, as both treatment and malpractice insurance rates continue to rise.

One thing is certain: With over a billion dollars spent annually to “fix” what providers “break,” insurers will increase the pressure for stricter standards of practice. For more information on the state of health care costs and medical malpractice, visit the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Medical Malpractice Epidemic

The incidence of medical malpractice and preventable mistreatment has become an expensive epidemic in America.

A 2008 estimate from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states that preventable errors associated with surgery cost employers almost $1.5 billion per year. That doesn’t take into account unnecessary expense to privately insured individuals.

In addition to overt injury or death associated with surgery, other contingencies may cost insurers or out-of-pocket payees as well.

Medical bills rise in the event of erroneous nursing care, wound opening, bleeding or other problems that are consequences of medical malpractice. These related issues can cost patients up to one-third more than those who have no initial mistreatment, in the thousands of dollars. The money involved encourages insurer subrogation or private-party lawsuits. These increase the amount of medical malpractice insurance necessary to satisfy claims, pushing the cost of all health care upward.

Victims of Medical Malpractice Seeking Legal Advice

If you have been a victim of a medical malpractice in Massachusetts, talk to our personal injury lawyers about the full extent of your legal right and options in securing a financial recovery for your injuries. Attorney Tom Kiley is known as the “Million Dollar Man” for his success in winning million-dollar settlements and jury verdicts for his clients in medical malpractice cases.

Kiley Law Group will evaluate your medical malpractice case for FREE.

There are NO FEES unless one of our medical malpractice lawyers wins your case.

Call today: 888-208-1695.