“Potentially preventable medical errors that occur during or after surgery may cost employers nearly $1.5 billion a year, according to new estimates by the Department of Health & Human Services’ (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).”
“In a study published in the July 28 issue of the journal Health Services Research, AHRQ’s William E. Encinosa, Ph.D. and Fred J. Hellinger, Ph.D., found that insurers paid an additional $28,218 (52 percent more) and an additional $19,480 (48 percent more) for surgery patients who experienced acute respiratory failure or post-operative infections, respectively, compared with patients who did not experience either error.”
The authors also found these additional costs for surgery patients who experienced the following medical errors compared with those who did not:
- Nursing care associated with medical errors, including pressure ulcers and hip fractures-$12,196 (33 percent more).
- Metabolic problems associated with medical errors, including kidney failure or uncontrolled blood sugar-$11,797 (32 percent more).
- Blood clots or other vascular or pulmonary problems associated with medical errors-$7,838 (25 percent more).
- Wound opening associated with medical errors-$1,426 (6 percent more).
“Like the physical and emotional harm caused by medical errors, the financial consequences don’t stop at the hospital door,” said AHRQ Director Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D. “Eliminating medical errors and their after effects must continue to be top priority for our health care system.”
“The study also found that 1 of every 10 patients who died within 90 days of surgery did so because of a preventable error and that one-third of the deaths occurred after the initial hospital discharge. The study was based on a nationwide sample of more than 161,000 patients age 18 to 64 in employer-based health plans who underwent surgery between 2001 and 2002 The authors used AHRQ’s Patient Safety Indicators to identify medical errors.”
“Drs. Encinosa and Hellinger also conclude that studies focusing only on medical errors incurred during the initial hospital stay may underestimate the financial impact of patient safety events by up to 30 percent.”
Although surgery may sound like the answer, make sure to get all the facts first. People often forget that the hardest part of surgery is the recovery. A work injury may not always need surgery, but it does need a good patient that follows the doctor’s instructions and sticks to the physical therapy schedule. Help your employees pursue all paths of recovery before surgery. Surgery can sometimes seem like the easiest solution, but encourage your workers to think of their future by considering alternative therapies first.
Provide a place where your injured employees can learn and heal at the same time. Give them a place to do their therapy as well as help foster the idea that the body does the healing, not the doctor. A Health and Wellness Room incorporates knowledge and inspiration into its theory. It can encourage an injured employee to help themselves heal and return to work. Show your employees you care even after an injury occurs – give them a Health and Wellness Room.
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