Remembering the IOM Medical Quality Report

Posted on November 10, 2009 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

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Despite the IOM Warning, Medical Errors May Have Killed 1 Million Plus In Past Decade

[By Fard Johnmar: First posted May 20, 2009]

IOM Report

Much like remembering the fallen Berlin Wall, it is fitting during this time of political healthcare reform debate, to again consider the IOM report – now more than a decade old.

In a scathing report, Consumers Union estimates that more than 1 million people have died over the last decade due to preventable medical harm.  The newly released report, “To Err is Human — To Delay is Deadly,” suggests that since the Institute of Medicine’s influential 1999 report on medical errors, “98,000 people die each year needlessly because of preventable medical harm, including healthcare-acquired infections. Ten years after To Err is Human, we have no national entity comprehensively tracking patient safety events or progress.”

While some hospitals have made great strides in the effort to reduce medical errors and the U.S. government has taken steps to limit reimbursement for preventable medical events, the nation still has a long way to go.  Consumers Union is recommending that we develop a national system for tracking medical errors.  The organization suggests that concerns about malpractice lawsuits due to reports of medical harm may be overstated.

Assessment

To learn more about the Consumer Union report, please click here.

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