A report by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) found that almost one hundred Oregon patients covered by Medicare fell down or were traumatically injured while receiving hospital treatment.
Earlier this week, the Portland Business Journal reported that the data was gathered from October 2008 – June 2010 also identified an additional 53 patients who contracted urinary tract infections and 28 with vascular catheter-associated infections.
Perhaps the most disturbing is the random objects left by physicians performing surgery in five different Medicare-covered patients during that time.
The report by CMS tracked “hospital-acquired conditions” in Medicare patients in 4,700 hospitals nationwide. The Oregon Patient Safety Commission has been developing standards for hospital error reporting in an effort to improve patient safety in the state, and hopefully prevent future catastrophic injuries or death.
Read more about recent attempts by the Obama administration to improve patient safety.
