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Lapses increase 3% in two-year period

Healthcare Strategist Trend Watch, April 6, 2007

More than 1 million preventable patient safety errors occurred in U.S. hospitals between 2003 and 2005, and more than 247,000 deaths could have been prevented, according to a study released April 2 by Golden, CO-based HealthGrades, a healthcare ratings organization.

Lapses at U.S. hospitals increased 3% overall during the time period, says the fourth annual study. The report also shows a significant gap between the best-scoring hospitals and the worst, as the top hospitals made 40% fewer errors than the worst-performing hospitals.

To get these numbers, HealthGrades collected data from Medicare patients treated at 5,000 hospitals between 2003 and 2005. To view the entire study, click here.

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