Data supports notion that medical errors increased following implementation of California law
Orange County, CA - July 6th 2016 - When a medical mistake occurs in California, an extensive investigation into the claim is launched per its hospital administrative penalties program. California is the only state to have such a law, which has been in place since 2007.
Once allegations are investigated by officials from the Department of Public Health, a decision is made whether the event constitutes as an “immediate jeopardy incident” - a term used to describe established errors that can cause serious injury or death of a patient. If the incident is labeled as such, a penalty is issued to the offending hospital and a news release of findings is published.
Nearly a decade after its actualization, skeptics are questioning if this program—which has collected $17 million in fines—has procured fewer preventable errors resulting in the harm or death of individuals. An investigation by the San Diego Tribune found greater instances of medical error than were present before the law went into effect.
Since its inception, 11,749 errors have been reported to state regulators, which led to the fining of 192 hospitals. Of all the errors reported, a majority have been for bedsores following hospital admission, with 847 reported cases. Recent statistics show that the preventable condition has been steadily declining, however. In fact, from 2010-2014, a federal sampling of Medicare patients found 17 percent drop in errors. Regardless, other errors, like overlooking a foreign object in a patient, have increased in recent years.
Whereas supporters of the medical penalty program believe that it encourages healthcare providers to be more attentive, others argue that the large fines are poor allocation of funds.
“The only thing the penalties have done is generate a lot of revenue for (the public health department). Instead of a $100,000 fine, why couldn’t hospitals use that money to go out and hire a quality nurse or make some other improvement directly related to the error?” said attorney Mark Kadzielski, in the previously cited article.
Adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) technology is another way in which state policies can positively encourage healthcare providers to modify the methodology that led to their critical errors. Innovations like analytic infusion pumps, smart beds, or medication trackers are tools aid in preventing avoidable or potentially life-taking procedures.
Experts urge changing the ideology that underpins healthcare culture in order to reduce the number of avoidable deaths. At issue is how hospital personnel, from physicians to janitors, feel barred from speaking on an observed problem. Additionally, discrepancies in the number of errors that are reported or counted changes depending on which state agency is asked, illuminating the possibility that current available data does not reflect reality.
In order to properly assess if the program has helped decrease problems with patient error, data should be cross-examined with fined hospitals to examine if financial disciplinary action is practical. . However, until the inconsistencies in data reporting from hospitals and collections by government entities are addressed, any type of data analysis is essentially redundant.
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Data supports notion that medical errors increased following implementation of California law Orange County, CA – July 6th 2016 – When a medical mistake occurs in California, an extensive investigation into the claim is launched per its hospital administrative penalties program. California is the only state to have such a law, which has been in place since […]