Patient safety–what’s missing in the healthcare debate
Monday, August 24th, 2009There’s an elephant in the room in the health care debate. We’re hearing a lot about high medical costs and uninsured people. And then there are the fake controversies over things like “death panels.” But what isn’t being discussed is the issue of patient safety. Instead, we’re hearing about national medical malpractice reforms and damage caps.
Here’s a link to a recent post I authored on PDXpersonalinjuryattorney.com, a blog devoted to Oregon injury issues. Here, also, is an amusing piece debunking some of the myths about tort reform being recycled by desparate politicians.
The thing that people miss is that an estimated 48,000-98,000 people die in America every year from preventable medical errors. As my buddy, Oregon trial lawyer Mark Bocci points out, it’s a bit like losing all the crew and passengers on a commercial jetliner every day.
Against this backdrop, caps and limits don’t make much sense. Let’s instead resolve to focus on patient safety. I can’t help but wonder what kind of conversation we would be having if everyday our civil aviation lost a plane.
David Sugerman