Dive Brief:
- The largest hospital in Rhode Island acknowledged that several employees were negligent in caring for a patient with a head injury, which caused irreversible brain damage and permanent disabilities.
- After a six-day trial, the jury decided on a $25 million award: $15 million for pain and suffering, $5.6 million for medical expenses and $5 million to the patient's wife. It is the largest negligence verdict ever handed down in the state.
- Lifespan, the parent company, does not plan to appeal.
Dive Insight:
A 2013 study published in the Journal of Patient Safety by Dr. John James concluded that about 400,000 patients each year suffer some type of preventable harm in hospitals that contributes to their health. This makes medical negligence the third leading cause of death in the U.S.—a 2014 Journal of Patient Safety study put the annual toll from preventable medical errors in hospitals at as many as 440,000 deaths annually. That excludes tens of thousands more people dying outside of hospitals from medical mistakes such as missed diagnoses or drug errors.
Some advocates recommended giving the Centers for Disease Control wider responsibility to measure medical mistakes in a Senate subcommittee hearing last year, but the suggestion never gained steam. Dr. Ashish Jha, professor of health policy and management at the Harvard School of Public Health, testified that the problem is global, but "with smarter metrics, greater transparency, more accountability, and the right set of incentives, we can make big progress."