HOSPITALS FAIL TO REPORT 99% OF PATIENT HARM EVENTS

According to a new report from the Office of Inspector General looking at Medicare beneficiaries, only 1 percent of adverse events and temporary harm evens are reported by hospitals. Many of the unreported events involve serious harm including patient deaths. A key threat ti patient safety, according to the report, is that most health professionals are afraid to report errors, worried that their mistakes will be held against them. Patient harm events for one month alone cost the Medicare program $324 million, according to the report.