Mortality
• Number of Americans who die each year from medical errors in 2000 — 44,000-98,000
• Rate change of deaths following complications of care from 2004 to 2008 —138 per 1,000 admissions to 122 per 1,000 admissions (adults ages 18-89)
• Rate change of deaths following inpatient pneumonia from 2004 to 2008 — 54 per 1,000 admissions to 36 per 1,000 admissions
Prevalence
• Annual rate of adverse events for hospitalized patients in 2000 — 2.9-3.7 percent
• Annual rate of adverse drug events among Medicare beneficiaries in ambulatory settings in 2003 — 50 per 1,000 person-years
• Annual number of adverse drug reactions during hospital admissions in 2000 — 1.9 million
• Annual number of healthcare-associated infections in 2007 — 1.7 million
• Average rate of postoperative sepsis infections in 2008 — 15 per 1,000 hospital discharges
• Average rate of central line-associated bloodstream infections in 2009 — 2 per 1,000 central-line days for medical-surgical ICUs to almost 3 per 1,000 central-line days for medical ICUs
Adherence to Surgical Care Improvement Project standards of care
• Proportion of surgery patients who received appropriate care across eight SCIP process of care measures in 2009 — 86 percent
• Proportion of surgery patients who had appropriate hair removal in 2009 — 99 percent
• Proportion of surgery patients who received recommended antibiotics in 2009 — 98 percent
• Proportion of surgery patients who received antibiotics 1 hour prior to surgery in 2009 — 96 percent
Costs
• Cost attributable to medical errors in 2008 — $19.5 billion
• Total cost per error in 2008 — $13,000
• Annual cost attributable to surgical errors in 2008 — $1.5 billion
Related Articles on Healthcare Quality:
Study Finds Pay-for-Performance Led to Minimal Improvement in Quality
Study Supports Previous Research on Link Between Hospital Nursing Designation, Quality Care
Blood Transfusions Overused, May Do More Harm Than Good
At the Becker's 11th Annual IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: The Future of AI & Digital Health, taking place September 14–17 in Chicago, healthcare executives and digital leaders from across the country will come together to explore how AI, interoperability, cybersecurity, and revenue cycle innovation are transforming care delivery, strengthening financial performance, and driving the next era of digital health. Apply for complimentary registration now.
