FREE CONSULTATION, CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-632-1404
DO NOT DELAY. ACT TODAY.
The Dallas Morning News (11/17, Dunklin) DMN Investigates blog says, “A new federal report found that 1 in 7 Medicare patients experienced harmful medical care during hospitalization, extending their stays in many cases, contributing to the deaths of some and costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.” In the report, the “inspector general projected that about 134,000 Medicare patients had endured so-called ‘adverse events’ like medication errors, delays in treatment and surgical mistakes. Another 134,000 experienced what the inspector general termed ‘temporary harm,’ such as prolonged vomiting and hypoglycemia.”
The AP (11/17) reports, “Medicare’s new chief called for more steps to improve patient safety Tuesday, in the wake of a government report that said one in seven hospitalized Medicare patients is harmed during their stay.” Approximately “1.5 percent of those patients, or 15,000 people a month, suffered a complication that contributed to their death, the inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services said.” In response to the findings, Berwick, who is “a well-known quality-care specialist,” said, “We have to do better.” CMS “unveiled a new Medicare ‘innovation center’ Tuesday designed to develop and test ways to improve quality of care and lower health care costs for everyone, not just Medicare recipients.”
The Hill (11/17, Pecquet) also notes the launching of the new innovation center in its Healthwatch blog, and quotes Berwick as saying, “For too long, health care in the United States has been fragmented — failing to meet patients’ basic needs, and leaving both patients and providers frustrated. … The Innovation Center will help change this trend by identifying, supporting, and evaluating models of care that both improve the quality of care patients receive and lower costs.” Richard Gilfillan, the center’s acting director, “added that the center aims to improve the care of Medicare and Medicaid patients alike by working to ‘identify, validate, and scale models that have been effective in achieving better outcomes and improving the quality of care.”
If you or a loved one in Tennessee, Mississippi or Arkansas believes you are the victim of medical malpractice and have sustained an injury to yourself or your child, infant, parent or loved one, including because of a hospital infection or otherwise, please call us today for a free case evaluation:(800) 632-1404
For immediate help:
CALL: 1-800-632-1404
FILL OUT THIS FORM FOR FREE HELP: