Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to Continue Tracking Medical Errors

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that it will continue its practice of collecting, and releasing to the public, important data on eight categories of potentially deadly medical errors.  CMS tracks the occurrence rate of eight hospital-acquired conditions that occur in medical facilities: foreign objects remaining in a patient after surgery, air embolisms, blood incompatibility mistakes, the development of pressure ulcers, falls and other traumas, vascular infections associated with catheter use, urinary tract infections associated with catheter use and injuries related to poor glycemic control of patients. According to CMS data, over 40,000 individuals are killed each by these types of preventable medical errors.

CMS had previously indicated that the federal government would no longer disclose this information to the public. The CMS’s popular hospital comparison site stopped publishing medical error data last summer. Patient advocacy groups immediately began to voice their concern that the lack of tracking and publication of this data would negatively affect public safety.  After the public outcry and intense media spotlight on its change in policy, the CMS has reversed its decision to withhold this data.

Supporters of increased transparency in medical error reporting including the American Association for Justice (AAJ) continue to advocate for easier ways for patients to receive important hospital safety rating data.  The AAJ has launched a public education campaign “Take Justice Back” to urge Congress to provide for more accountability when it comes to preventable medical errors.

Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Attorneys at Galfand Berger Aggressively Fight for Individuals Injured by Preventable Medical Errors

Have you or your loved one been injured by one of the eight preventable medical errors being tracked by the CMS?  If so, you may be entitled to compensation.  At the Philadelphia personal injury law firm of Galfand Berger, our medical malpractice lawyers work with individuals who have been injured by the negligence of a physician, nurse, hospital or other medical provider to obtain the maximum amount of compensation.

Galfand Berger has offices conveniently located in Philadelphia, Reading and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to better serve injured individuals and their families throughout Pennsylvania, including the Harrisburg and Allentown region, as well as the South Jersey area. To schedule your free confidential consultation today, call Galfand Berger at 1-800-222-8792 or contact us online.