NPR: Medical errors in outpatient settings may exceed those in hospitals

Jun 17 2011

Meanwhile, the Oregonian reports that many Oregon surgery centers are "ignoring" the state's voluntary reporting system.

NPR: Outpatient Medical Errors May Surpass Those In Hospitals
It's been a dozen years since the Institute of Medicine shocked the public by estimating that as many as 98,000 people were dying annually because of medical mistakes in the nation's hospitals. But results from a study published in this week's JAMA suggest that outpatient care may be just as hazardous to your health (Rovner, 6/15).

Oregonian: Many Surgery Centers In Oregon Ignoring Error-Prevention Drive
Surgery centers, which account for a growing share of procedures once performed only in hospitals, are lagging behind in the drive to report and learn from errors and preventable patient injuries in Oregon. The Oregon Patient Safety Commission established a voluntary reporting system in 2007, but only about half of the state's licensed surgery centers are participating. And among the 43 surgery centers that have joined the effort, less than two-thirds took the time to report the details of any adverse events last year (Rojas-Burke, 6/15).