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Preventable surgical complications cost nearly $1.5 billion

Quality Improvement Monitor, August 1, 2008

Preventable surgical complications may cost employers as much as $1.5 billion a year, according to new estimates by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

A study in the July 28 issue of the journal Health Services Research found that insurers paid an additional $28,218 (52% more) and an additional $19,480 (48% more) for surgery patients who experienced acute respiratory failure or post-operative infections, respectively, compared with patients who did not experience either error, an AHRQ press release said.

The study also found that one of every 10 patients who died within 90 days of surgery did so because of a preventable error.

Additional findings include:

  • Nursing care associated with medical errors, including pressure ulcers and hip fractures, cost $12,196 (33% more).
  • Metabolic problems associated with medical errors, including kidney failure or uncontrolled blood sugar, cost $11,797 (32% more).
  • Blood clots or other vascular or pulmonary problems associated with medical errors cost $7,838 (25 percent more).
  • Wound opening associated with medical errors cost $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,” AHRQ Director Carolyn M. Clancy, MD, said in a press release. “Eliminating medical errors and their after effects must continue to be top priority for our healthcare system.”

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