Indiana tracks serious medical errors

The results are in from Indiana's first in-depth look at medical errors made in its hospitals and healthcare facilities. The Indiana Medical Error Reporting System, which requires facilities to share information on 27 "serious reportable events," completed its first full year last year. According to the data reported to the state, 77 serious medical errors occurred at the state's 287 hospitals and healthcare facilities last year. Seventy-two of the 77 errors occurred at hospitals, including the deaths of three infants after an accidental heparin overdose, and five at ambulatory surgical centers. The most common error (accounting for nearly one-third of reported errors) was having patients develop serious pressure ulcers. State officials have said that the goal of the project is to identify these types of common problems and develop methods for preventing them.

To find out more about the error tracking project:
- read this piece from The Indianapolis Star

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