Medical Errors Kill
15,000 Medicare Patients a Month

This section was compiled by Frank M. Painter, D.C.
Send all comments or additions to:     Frankp@chiro.org

FROM:   AOL Health ~ November 2010

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A new report from the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General reveals that 13 percent of Medicare patients in the U.S. experience an adverse event each month in American hospitals, and some 15,000 of them die as a result. [1]

The news is startling, particularly since the report points out that 44 percent of adverse incidents occurring in hospitals are avoidable. And all-together, these adverse events are costing Medicare more than $300 million a MONTH.

Kevin K. Golladay, regional inspector general for evaluation and inspections with OIG thinks hospitals need to have greater incentives to reduce errors and adverse events, and the OIG report suggests that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services could perhaps create this incentive by denying payment for conditions acquired while in the hospital setting.

I say bravo to that idea! If that doesn't get their attention, nothing will.

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Editorial Comment:

The unfortunate truth is that Medicare balks at the prospect of paying chiropractors for all the services they are trained (and licensed) to provide, because the Demo project raised costs by almost 100 million in a YEAR.

A close inspection of the financial outlays during the Demo period suggest that, while visits to PTs declined (as expected), PTs merely cranked up their charges to re-capture their shortfall, and that's why there was an increase in overall cost.

Considering that they blithely ignore this $300 million a MONTH price tag from injuring patients (or 3.6 Billion per year), it seems rather disingenuous that they decline providing full chiropractic care to Medicare patients because of the 100 million a YEAR (much of which was pocketed by PTs). That's only 0.027% of the money they currently waste on hospital accidents.

Even more terrifying, Kevin K. Golladay, the regional Inspector General for evaluation and inspections with OIG, told AOL Health that the Medicare population doesn't experience anymore adverse effects in hospital settings than the general population. That means that percentage-wise, many more people, who have regular insurance, are also dying from these same mistakes.

According to the most in-depth review article written on the topic, the total number of deaths caused by conventional medicine is an astounding 783,936 per year, at a cost of $282 billion dollars. [2]

• That's 2147 people dying per DAY
• That's a 9-11 event happening every other day...forever.

God help us all.

So...it looks like the safest approach (prevention) is to make sure you NEVER end up in the Hospital!

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REFERENCES:

1. Adverse Events in Hospitals: National Incidence Among Medicare Beneficiaries
   Department of Health and Human Services
   Office of the Inspector General

2. Death By Medicine
   LE Magazine ~ March 2004

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