The tragedy at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub was horrific, with 50 total deaths.  Everyone can understand and see the sheer scale of the largest shooting in US history.

Our nation has 8,000 times that many people die each year from medical mistakes – or 400,000 deaths annually. That’s equivalent to 22 of these shootings…every single day of the year. These deaths may not be making daily headlines, but they are happening – one person at a time, one treatment at a time, all across the United States.

A recent news story on the subject shows how easily it can happen. If you , the story of how this child died is at the end of the clip. She was given the wrong medicine, a compound medication, 20+ times stronger than what she needed. The pharmacist signed off, without making it or reviewing it. Her father found the IV bag in the trash, so it’s likely nobody would have told him had he not caught it. It’s also very telling that his settlement would have been significantly higher had he agreed to a confidentiality clause, but he thought it was important for the memory of his daughter to speak out. These cases are usually not spoken about publicly.

I am a big proponent that less is usually more in healthcare. I am very proud of what we do at 911łÔąĎ. For patients involved in 911łÔąĎ’s medical care management, utilization review and surgical care programs, every unnecessary medical service we prevent could be the one that saves a life. Every surgery we keep out of a hospital can reduce the risk of error or infection and increase the odds of a successful recovery. There is no doubt that these precautions help reduce devastating health issues for our patients every day.

The post An Observation – Deadly Healthcare Mistakes & Orlando’s Tragedy appeared first on 911łÔąĎ.

A few interesting facts:

• The top 50 highest charging hospitals have average charges at 10 times what Medicare allows.
• The average hospital charges 3.4 times what Medicare allows.
• “For-profit” hospitals dominate the highest charging hospital list (49 out of 50).

We have observed the trend in rising Florida costs, and found significant hospital price increases in markets where consolidation has occurred.

Programs like 911łÔąĎ’s Surgical Care Program (SCP) were created to address the hospital cost issue, particularly in Florida – our strongest state for SCP coverage.

The whole goal of SCP is to eliminate the incentive for providers to charge more.  All-inclusive, fair rates are negotiated upfront for surgical procedures, so providers’ “standard” charges are removed from the equation.  Hospitals seem to be currently unable or unwilling to accept this model, so the program focuses on those procedures that can be performed in an ambulatory surgery center setting.  In Florida, 911łÔąĎ provides SCP services in every major market—it will not solve every situation, but it can be a major factor in controlling skyrocketing hospital costs.

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