Research Shows Medical Errors Third Leading Cause of Death in the United States

“Big Medicine” is a multi-trillion-dollar industry in the United States. Many hospital chains rake in millions of dollars each year marketing their services on TV, billboards, radio, and other media. The medical community in South Florida is no different. We’ve all seen the advertisements. When it comes to hospitals, however, patient safety may not be rising quite as fast as profits.

A 2016 study lead by Martin Makary, a professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, found that preventable medical errors claim over 250,000 lives each year in the United States. That’s nearly 700 deaths each day. Dr. Makary’s study was published in the BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal), an international peer reviewed medical journal established over 150 years. Other studies pegged the death toll slightly lower while others have calculated the figure much higher. Whatever the true statistics, everyone should be troubled by the number of avoidable deaths occurring each year in the United States due to preventable medical errors.

These studies should concern Floridians given the sheer volume of patients treated daily at Florida hospitals. A Florida medical malpractice lawyer can help you determine if a hospital death or injury was in fact preventable, and whether the facts leading to that injury or death would support a medical malpractice action under Florida law.

There is no question that preventable medical errors can kill. The question is, why are they so prevalent in modern medicine. One answer may be that the manner in which medical services are provided depends heavily on prompt and accurate communication among healthcare providers and a complex system of record keeping. Any break down in these systems can easily lead to medication mix-ups, delays in treatment, missed or late diagnoses, and physician orders being ignored. Additionally, there are significant variations in physician training and experience. Our attorneys have decades of combined experience investigating and pursuing medical negligence cases in Florida. We would be more than happy to speak with anyone who might have questions about filing a medical malpractice claim in Florida. At our firm, initial consultations are always free and confidential. You can call us directly at (305) 372-3650 or send us a message by contacting us here.