Rate of Massachusetts prescription mistakes unchanged

State data reveals little improvement in wrong medication or medical errors.

Massachusetts state regulators recently released hospital safety data and found that the number of hospital patients who received the wrong medication, were seriously disabled or died from a fall, or had the wrong body part operated on, remained essentially unchanged in 2010 compared with 2009.

According to the numbers released by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health:

• In 2010, 512 patients suffered from a serious reportable event,
• In 2009, 510 patients suffered from a serious reportable event.

A director of the department’s Bureau of Health Care Safety and Quality said that, “Not everyone is reporting the same way so it’s hard for us to say we know what’s going on with safety and quality."

Massachusetts enacts treatment regulations for victims of serious hospital events
In 2009, Massachusetts was the first state to enact rules prohibiting hospitals from charging for treatment that was provided as a result of an adverse hospital event, such as a hip replacement after a fall.

A health advocate with Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley said she worries that hospitals might be underreporting serious events because they fear financial repercussions.
Errors are grossly underreported across the United States
Reporting errors in pharmacies and hospitals is an important step in drug error prevention, but errors are underreported across the United States. There is no federal requirement for these companies to report errors and any reporting is voluntary. Most people who are harmed by medical errors or pharmacy errors do not take action, so the number of errors is sporadic at best.
Have you suffered because of a medication mistake or prescription error?
Don’t suffer in silence. The only way to make pharmacies and hospitals pay attention to your voice is to file a lawsuit to hold them accountable for mistakes. By taking action you can make these corporations change their policies and prevent serious errors from happening to others.

Contact our office to have board certified personal injury attorneys review your case at no obligation. You can also order our free book to learn more about prescription errors and how to take action.