Statistics on Medical Malpractice are often hard to come by. The majority of settlements come before going to a trial, and are subsequently not released to the public.
G. Eric Nielson & Associates has compiled some a few common statistics for medical malpractice cases to help inform you of the industry as a whole. Some of these statistics may be helpful in determining what you are up against if you have a claim. Additionally, some of these statistics may be alarming.
For example, while there are requirements put into place the hospitals must report a medical mistake, in 2012 86% of events that should have been reported went undocumented. There are several factors why these events occur without proper documentation, but the overwhelming reason why is because the staff either did not perceive the event as reportable, or that the staff commonly reported events but did not do so in the specific case in the study. It is safe to say that hospital staff education is lacking in this area.
Currently, there is a law requiring hospitals to report healthcare mistakes. However, there is still a massive percentage of errors that don’t get reported. Should we pass stricter laws to ensure all mistakes are reported?
The key data points we’ve gathered for Medical Malpractice cases are displayed in the graphic below.
What’s your opinion?
Cast your vote and leave your comments below.
