Adverse Medical Events 2006

In 2003, Minnesota enacted the Minnesota Adverse Health Care Events Reporting Act (Minnesota Statutes Chapter 144, Sections 144.706-144.7069). Under this law, all Minnesota hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers and regional treatment centers to report to MDH whenever any of 27 adverse hospital errors/events occur. If you have questions about a hospital error that resulted in serious injury or death, an experienced Minnesota malpractice lawyer at Pritzker | Ruohonen is available for a free consultation. Please call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or submit the firm’s online-consultation form.

January 17, 2007 – The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) today released the third annual report on preventable adverse events in Minnesota hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers and regional treatment centers. Preventable adverse events include such things as wrong-site surgeries, pressure ulcers, retained objects after surgery, death or serious disability from a medication error, and death from a fall.

The report summarizes the number and types of events that occurred between October 7, 2005, and October 6, 2006, in facilities that are required to report. According to the report, during that period, 154 adverse events were reported by 49 facilities, and 24 deaths and 7 serious disabilities resulted from the events.

The report notes that the most frequently reported event was a stage three or four pressure ulcer (serious bed sores) (48); the next most frequently reported event was a foreign object left in a patient after surgery (42).

A full copy of the adverse health events report and additional information can be found on MDH’s Adverse Health Events Web page, at www.health.state.mn.us/patientsafety. More information about hospitals can be found at http://www.mnhospitals.org.

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