We have become a country of phone-addicted people.  And nowhere is this more true – and more dangerous – than on our nation’s roads. Some estimates place the amount of people driving while on their cell phones as high as 80 percent.

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, which is when Zendrive released its 2019 research (“Public Enemy No. 1”) on distracted driving. This is the third consecutive year that the data tech and mobile app company has studied distracted drivers, and it reports that distracted driving continues to worsen year after year.

The study coins ...

Twenty years ago, a landmark report (“To Err is Human”) found that as many 98,000 people die from medical errors in this country every year.  And just three years ago, another study said that only heart disease and cancer caused more deaths in the United States than preventable medical mistakes.

According to that more recent Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine study (“Medical Error—the Third Leading Cause of Death in the U.S.”), more than 250,000 people die annually from medical errors.

What is a Medical Error?

That study defines a medical error to include:

·         A mistake ...

It’s one step forward and likely one step back in terms of preventing catastrophic truck crashes in this country.

On December 17, the electronic logging device mandate goes into full effect.  On that day, all appropriate commercial truckers must record their hours of service – time spent on the road – in computerized devices.

How does this help prevent fatal commercial truck accidents?  Electronic logging devices should do a better job keeping dangerously tired truck drivers off the road than the previous process.

Truckers Avoiding Driving Hours Regulations

Prior to the ELD ...

Misdiagnosis is a common but serious medical mistake. According to new research, misreading of CT scans – one variety of patient misdiagnosis - is a leading cause of medical errors that harm patients.

The Doctors Company, a medical malpractice insurance provider, in early December released the findings of its study into radiology medical malpractice claims (“Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology Closed Claims Study”).  It reviewed nearly 600 medical malpractice lawsuits against radiologists that closed between 2013 and 2018.

The study examined medical malpractice ...

Apparently there are a growing number of commercial truck drivers speeding, and many today barreling down the highway with bad brakes.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the number of speeding truckers is on a distinctly upward trend.  Speeding tickets (federal and state) given to commercial truck drivers in the United States jumped 7.8% in 2018 over 2017.  And 2017 saw a 1.1% increase in truck driver speeding violations over the year prior, with 2016 nearly a 10% hike compared to 2015.

Rise in Speeding Tickets Given to Commercial Truck Drivers

All totaled ...

Missouri hospitals rank in the bottom half of all U.S. states for patient safety, with far less than one-third of the facilities achieving the highest grade in this regard.

The fall rankings for U.S. hospitals were recently published by the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit organization that highlights dangerous medical errors.  It issues twice-yearly hospital safety grades, with “A” being the best grade and “F” a failing grade.

Per the newly released rankings, Missouri is number 29, with just under 28% of the Show Me State’s hospitals earning an “A” grade. (Maine came in at ...

Walkers, bike riders and those in crashes with commercial trucks all had something tragic in common in 2018: more of them died in traffic accidents than the year prior.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently released its report on fatal motor vehicle accidents in 2018. While there was some good news – an overall drop in traffic fatalities of 2.4% over 2017 – it has to be put into some perspective.  The NHTSA reports that even with that drop 36,560 people died in car crashes and commercial truck accidents in 2018.

According to the NHTSA, bicyclist deaths increased ...

While one leading patient safety organization recently reported on medical errors made at same-day surgery facilities, another recently published its report on common and dangerous medical mistakes made during other outpatient care.

In October the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit that rates hospitals for patient safety, entered new waters with a report on patient safety in outpatient surgery centers across the country.  The organization had concerns over some of its findings.

About the same time the ECRI Institute released a more comprehensive look at patient safety in U.S ...

Trucking industry representatives may argue they place the safety of other drivers as a priority.  However, their own actions tell a different story.

In September, 30-plus trucking organizations and lobbyists combined to attack public safety measures.  The largest was the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, a lobbying group that includes independent truckers as well as those who work for companies.

The OOIDA-led effort was outlined in a letter addressed to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and to the House of Representatives ...

The portion of medical malpractice lawsuits filed over problems with electronic health records is relatively small – but is rising as healthcare providers increasingly rely on the technology.

Electronic health records allow authorized healthcare providers instant and real-time access to a patient’s medical records. These digital patient charts were introduced in an effort to boost medical care efficiency and outcomes.

But one result not trumpeted by EHR makers and proponents that has become a reality: medical errors that harm patients.

The Doctors Company provides ...