Just over half the states have some sort of mandatory reporting system. Since July 1, California has required the reporting of more than 20 serious medical errors listed by the National Quality Forum, a group of consumers, doctors, insurers and institutions promoting improved quality in healthcare.
The first report, from July through November, listed 22 "wrong-site" events statewide, including 14 incidents of surgery performed on the wrong body part, one case of surgery performed on the wrong patient and seven cases of the wrong surgical procedure performed on a patient. The most frequently reported errors involve bed sores acquired after admission (125 incidents) and objects such as scissors, scalpels or sponges left in patients (59).
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday, March 06, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 43 words Type of Material: Correction
Hospital errors: A headline in some editions of Saturday's California section said that a "wrong site" surgical procedure at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange was the third such mistake in just over a year; it was the third such mistake since January 2006.
Hospitals soon will encounter even more pressure to prevent errors.
After Oct. 1, Medicare will no longer pay for follow-up care for several preventable problems.
Health insurer Aetna is requiring hospitals to waive patient bills when certain medical errors occur and to apologize to families of the patients hurt by the mistakes, the company said.
"From the patient's perspective, people want to know why did it happen and they want someone to say that they're sorry," said Fran Griffin, project director at the nonprofit Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Cambridge, Mass. "And they're very appreciative if there's some follow-up to say, 'This is what we're doing to make sure it doesn't happen again.' "
mary.engel@latimes.com
