Hospital Errors Reduced, Report Says

Preventable hospital deaths are occurring less often, a new report says. The government’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services did the report. It was based on medical records. The agency focused on preventable infections, drug errors and falls in hospitals. It found that 17% fewer of these problems occurred in 2013 compared with 2010. That trend led to 50,000 fewer deaths. About 1.3 million fewer people developed infections and other problems that were acquired in the hospital. Fewer errors also led to a $12 billion drop in avoidable hospital costs, the report said. But 10% of hospital patients were still affected by some sort of error. The Associated Press and Reuters Health news service wrote about the report December 2.