"Caps" or Consequences: An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of "Cure"

In 1999, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) issued a report which concluded that up to 98,000 people die annually due to errors in hospital treatment. In follow up, over the last decade, Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports magazine, has concluded that little has changed. Their research indicates that preventable medical errors cause more than 100,000 deaths each year. Likewise, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that almost 100,000 people die from hospital acquired infections alone, most of which are preventable.

According to a study published in November 2010 by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of Inspector General, one in seven Medicare patients experience an adverse event, including "never events" (events that the National Quality Forum (NQF) has determined should never happen, such as surgery performed on the wrong patient). Up to 15,000 Medicare patients per month may experience an adverse event that contributes to their death.

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