Over the past few years, surgical errors have been in the spotlight as “never events” – medical mistakes that should never happen, but still do, in alarming numbers. This widespread attention has led to new laws and policies designed to reduce the number of surgical errors overall. In 2007, the state of California began requiring hospitals to report certain types of surgical errors, and fined the hospitals if the errors led to the serious injury or death of a patient.
Every year, around 2,000 patients across the nation report that surgical instruments or materials (e.g. a sponge) were left inside of their bodies after a surgical procedure. According to a recent study, American surgeons leave sponges and other items inside of patients’ bodies an average of 39 times a week.
As part of an effort to encourage patient safety throughout the surgical process, payers are focusing on surgical errors and never events as measurements of quality care. Several states have already made announcements that their hospitals will be penalized for these events in pay-for-performance programs.
If you have suffered an injury because of a surgical error, or if your loved one died due to a surgical mistake, please contact Golomb & Honik, P.C. today to schedule a free case evaluation with an experienced surgical error attorney.
