Health care professionals and hospital administrators - especially those involved in advocacy on the state and federal levels - should read and watch a new series on preventable medical errors by Hearst newspaper and televisions journalists called "Dead by Mistake."
The wide-ranging national investigation, which began running in newspapers Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009, is sure to influence future legislation and policy making concerning preventable medical errors. The investigative reporting team was comprised of over 35 people, who read thousands of pages of documents, disciplinary files, lawsuits, governmental, medical and other public and private reports.
Since there is no comprehensive reporting of medical errors around the country, Hearst set out to gather information not available and/or accessible to the public, or the company claims to health care professionals.
Hearst compiled and analyzed collectively nine databases, including hospital discharge records in four states, hospital administrative penalties, health care project research and whatever other available information they could find for the most comprehensive look at the issue undertaken to date.
Read the series here.
(In the interest of full disclosure, AAPA blogger Janette Rodrigues worked for Hearst's Houston Chronicle.)
