Medicare Patients Suffer Harm When Hospitalized at an Astonishing Rate

 Posted on May 17, 2023 in Car Accidents

In May of 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General published a report regarding the rate at which Medicare patients experience harm while hospitalized. Although not every type of hospitalized patient harm is legally actionable, a significant fraction of such cases occur due to unacceptable manifestations of medical malpractice.

What Does the Report Say?

Widespread statistics indicate that more than 95 percent of older Americans are covered by Medicare. According to the HHS report, one out of every four of those individuals experienced harm if they were hospitalized in 2018. There is no evidence to suggest that the reality of this situation has improved since that time.

In 2018, 12 percent of hospitalized Medicare patients experienced harmful adverse events that were so significant that they necessitated longer hospitalizations and/or life-saving interventions, while others led to permanent harm or death. Additionally, 13 percent of Medicare patients were subjected to so-called “temporary harm events” which were serious in nature but did not meet the criteria noted above. Catalysts for both serious and temporary harm events included acquired infections, side effects from medication, treatment-related complications, and vaguely classified “patient care issues.”

Importantly, it has been determined – via review of all applicable records by physicians – that at least 43 percent of the harm events experienced by Medicare patients in 2018 were preventable. It has further been determined that substandard and inadequate approaches to patient care were the most common causes of this preventable harm. 

Schedule a Free Case Evaluation with a Dedicated Winnebago County Medical Malpractice Lawyer for More Information

If you or a loved one has suffered unexpected or unusually significant medical challenges during a hospital stay, it is certainly possible that medical errors or another potential form of malpractice contributed to the cause(s) of that situation. As a result, it is a good idea to schedule a free consultation with the knowledgeable team of Rockford, IL medical malpractice lawyers at Mannarino & Brasfield, A Division of Schwartz Injury Law so that you can better understand your rights, your options, and how we can help.

You deserve to understand what has happened to you, whatever the truth may be. Please do not spend another restless night wondering whether there is anything to be done. Call our firm at 815-215-7561 or submit a contact form on our website for personalized insight at no cost. We look forward to hearing from you. 

Sources:

https://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/OEI-06-18-00400.asp
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25077248/