Surgical Errors Now Topping $1.5 Billion

Surgical errors are of the most costly nature. While the $1.5 billion figure is an astounding one and has a great effect on the medical industry, it is nothing compared to the impact of surgical errors on the patients themselves. And the bottom line is that the number can and should be reduced.

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), a division of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), employers pay nearly $1.5 billion each year for medical errors that occur during or after surgery; errors that could be potentially preventable. The study was authored by William E. Encinosa, Ph.D. and Fred J. Hellinger, Ph.D., both employed by ARQ, and was published in the July issue of the Health Services Research journal.

With a sampling of more than 161,000 patients out of 5.6 million insurance enrollees, ranging in age from 18 to 64, who were part of an employer-based health insurance plan and underwent surgery during 2001 and 2002, there was one particular finding that reflected most upon the tragedy that befell some of the patients. One out of every 10 surgical patients who died within 90 days of their respective surgeries, with one-third taking place after the post-surgery facility discharge, and those deaths were due to errors that could have been prevented.

Other figures that emerged from the study included additional monies spent by insurers for patients who were victims of medical errors.

• $28,218 for acute respiratory failure
• $19,480 for post-operative infections
• $12,196 for nursing care for issues such as pressure ulcers and hip fractures
• $11,797 for metabolic problems, including kidney failure and uncontrolled blood sugar
• $7,838 for blood clots, vascular, and pulmonary problems
• $1,426 for wound openings

The costs averaged approximately 30 percent more than those associated with patients who did not suffer repercussions from surgical errors. And the problems that those patients experienced were unnecessary, ultimately causing time and money for employers, not to mention the uncalculated costs to the patients in the way of duress and personal finance.

Surgical errors can be the result of various problems, including the failure to properly diagnose a patient's ability to recover from surgery, accidental punctures or lacerations, foreign bodies left in patients during procedures, failure to properly administer anesthesia and medications, or lack of sufficient wound care or patient instruction to continue that care. There are numerous categories under which surgical errors can be placed, and it seems that many of them should be examined by medical facilities, not to mention oversight programs, to evaluate areas in which improvements can be made to save money and, most importantly, lives.

AHRQ Director Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D., had the opportunity to examine the study and comment in the official press release: "Like the physical and emotional harm caused by medical errors, the financial consequences don't stop at the hospital door. Eliminating medical errors and their after effects must continue to be top priority for our health care system."

Not only did the authors conclude that medical errors require more focus on prevention, but they noted that most other studies focus their results on errors that occur during the initial post-surgery hospitalization instead of the broader time frame that includes follow-up, hospital readmission, and long-term post-surgical care. Therefore, it is estimated that other studies depress the number of surgical errors and their fiscal impact by as much as 20 or 30 percent.

A figure of $1.5 billion is one that hits America's employers where it hurts, and insurance providers are duly affected as well. While health care improvements are always necessary, quite possibly a number that deeply concerns the pockets of those paying for much of it will spur changes that will benefit everyone.