The common thread through all of this information is the research on medical errors and the changes made to reduce these errors within the walls of a hospital. However, Weill Cornell Medical College recently released a research report that has caught the attention of many patient advocates, including me. It focuses on the errors that occur in private physician offices and outpatient clinics. It is noteworthy in what may be the first examination of its kind in outpatient clinic medical errors.

Relying on data from the National Practitioner Data Bank from 2005 to 2009, researchers found “that the number and magnitude of events results from medical errors is surprisingly similar inside and outside hospital walls.” The report states that 11,000 malpractice payments were made on behalf of physicians in 2009 alone, with half of the errors reported at a doctor’s office.

The number of outpatient facilities across the U.S. continues to rise. And so do the numbers of outpatient surgical procedures, as many physicians are conducting non-invasive treatments.

Dr. Tara Bishop, lead author of the medical study and assistant professor of public health and medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, was quoted in the news release that “we’re treating more patients than ever, plus seeing sicker patients than we used to.”

This report serves as a firm reminder that we must seek to develop and support programs that improve patient safety across both inpatient and outpatient settings. If you haven’t had an opportunity to read the report, I would highly encourage you to do so. You can find it published on the Journal of the American Medical Association here.

Another article I want to bring to your attention is in the July issue of Health Affairs. Authored by Professor Dwight Golann on the subject of changing medical malpractice dynamics. The article title is: “Dropped Medical Malpractice Claims: Their Surprising Frequency, Apparent Causes, and Potential Remedies.” If you subscribe to Health Affairs (it is not inexpensive!) you can read the article. I exchanged e-mails with Professor Golann this week and he said, “…this is one of the few areas in which patients, doctors and insurers may have common ground.”

In any event, I’ll be writing more on this topic next month.

If you have further thoughts about patient safety or this blog to share, we welcome your comments. Or, if you care to submit a grant proposal to put your ideas into action, we invite you to send a cover letter describing your patient-safety-focused project.

Every one of us has an opportunity — and responsibility — to improve patient safety and the healthcare process. Let’s hear from you.