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Medical Error Now The Third Leading Cause of Deaths In U.S.
Way back in 1999, a study by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), To Err Is Human, concluded that 98,000 Americans died annually from preventable medical mistakes. The 1999 study made its conclusions from New York data collected in 1984. According to a new study in the Journal Of Patient Safety, the updated figures from 2008 to 2011 show the situation has become markedly worse. According to this new study, it is about four times worse. This new study concludes that over 440,000 people die each year from preventable medical errors. This stunning news was reported recently in Forbes Magazine. According to Forbes, these latest revelations that are based on much better quality data than the 1999 study place medical mistakes and errors as the third leading cause of death in the United States.
This means there are far more deaths from preventable medical error than from accidents, like automobile, motorcycle, and construction accidents. In fact, except for heart disease and cancer, this means there are more deaths from medical malpractice than any other causes. And let us make this clear: these are not deaths from foreseeable complications of illnesses that brought people to the hospital in the first place. These are deaths from preventable medical mishaps. Mishaps like sponges left in surgery patients, overdoses of medications in babies at doses intended for 200 pound men, and infections from contaminated equipment.
If you suspect that you or a loved one has been the victim of medical malpractice, it is important for you to consult with an attorney immediately. You have a short time to file your lawsuit and Florida law requires a grueling and complex screening process that takes an inordinate amount of time and that is fraught with technicalities designed to deprive medical malpractice victims of having their case decided by a jury on the facts and merits. Don’t delay. Call us immediately for a free medical malpractice consultation.
