Indiana Joins Minnesota In Medical Error Reporting

Indiana has become only the second state to require hospitals to report medical errors. I am proud to say that Minnesota was the first. IN passed a law that requires hospitals and surgery centers to report errors within 15 days of discovering them. The reporting began Jan 1.

The first list of errors will be available in early 2007 and will be public record.

Some startling mistakes include operating on the wrong body part or even the wrong patient, but more common errors involve wrong dosages of medications or infections from caregivers who don’t wash their hands.

“This is really about fostering a culture of safety in Indiana,” said Scott Tittle, Gov. Mitch Daniels’ policy director for health issues.

Experts say tens of thousands of hospital patients are killed or injured every year in America because of preventable errors.

This is a great step in the fight to reduce instances of medical malpractice and medical errors.