Profession
Study tracks "never events" liability
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Nov. 24, 2008
So-called "never events" accounted for one in six medical liability claims filed against hospitals in 2007, according to a recent study.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Oct. 1 stopped reimbursement for 10 hospital-acquired infections, it has termed never events. Aon Corp.'s 2008 Hospital Professional Liability and Physician Liability Benchmark Analysis found that four categories from that list -- objects left in surgical patients, pressure ulcers, and hospital-acquired infections and injuries -- were responsible for 12.2% of hospitals' total liability expenses. The average claims cost for such never events was $86,500.
Heightened awareness of such conditions also may prompt an increase in related claims filings, study authors said. Meanwhile, the report by the risk management firm showed that the number of overall medical liability lawsuit filings against physicians and hospitals has stabilized for the fourth year in a row.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/11/24/prbf1124.htm.
