Key to reducing medical costs is to reduce medical errors

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According to a study commissioned by the Society of Actuaries, medical errors and associated problems such as bed sores, infections and complications, cost the United States economy $19.5 billion in 2008, which if reduced could help reduce overall medical care costs.

The cost of medical errors has been found to be nearly 25 percent of the total costs associated with medical injuries.


The study examined insurance claims data in order to make its determinations, covering 1.5 million measurable errors, which they consider to be a
conservative estimate.

The report estimates that medical errors resulted in more than 2,500 avoidable deaths and over 10 million lost days of work. The study indicates the
following estimated costs, as provided by a recent press release from an attorney involved with medical malpractice cases:

-Bed sores, almost always considered to be the result of an error, represented the largest annual error cost, at nearly $3.9 billion

-Post-operation infections followed at $3.7 billion

-Device complications at $1.1 billion, tied with complications from failed spinal surgery

-Hemorrhages cost $960 million

Jim Toole, managing director of MBA Actuaries, Inc., says the report highlights a singular opportunity to improve the overall quality of care.  He is
therefore calling for new federal safety guidelines that would include a mandatory national reporting system.

PR Newswire cites a survey in which 87 percent of actuaries believe that reducing medical errors is an effective way to control health care cost trends
for the commercial population; 88 percent believe this to be true for the Medicare population. 

According to the study measurable medical errors during 2008 resulted in 2,500 avoidable deaths and more than 10 million excess days missed from work
due to short-term disability.  The average cost per medical error is approximately $13,000.  The study found that an estimated seven percent
of inpatient admissions resulted in some type of medical injury.

The five most costly errors to the U.S. economy each year, according to the study, are: -Pressure ulcers, or bedsores

-Postoperative infections

-Mechanical complications related to devices, implants or grafts

-Postlaminectomy syndrome

-Hemorrhages that complicate a procedure

Precautions which are as basic as using checklists can help reduce the risk of medical errors. Even so, thousands of patients can be and are affected
by many different types of medical errors. Victims of anesthesia error, medication errors, wrong site surgeries, or those who have suffered
bedsores or postoperative infections are not uncommon.

Keeping medical costs down, the study reminds folks, is a key factor in stopping medical errors and being vigilant about it is therefore important for
everyone.