Close up image of a caretaker helping older woman walk

Preventable medical errors took place at a nearly 3% incident rate among Medicare hospitalizations during 2003 through 2005, according to a new study.

Errors took place in about 1.2 million of 40 million Medicare hospitalizations, according to HealthGrades, an independent healthcare ratings organization. Approximately 250,000 Medicare patient deaths involving medical errors could have been prevented, the study found.

The study tracked 16 patient safety measures over the three-year period. The safety problems with the highest rate of occurrence were decubitus ulcers or bedsores, failure to rescue, and post-operative respiratory failure. Two years ago, President Bush signed the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act to help reduce preventable medical errors in healthcare facilities.

See the study at: http://www.healthgrades.com/media/dms/pdf/PatientSafetyInAmericanHospitalsStudy2007.pdf.