Although we inherently trust our doctors to care for our health, medical malpractice may be more common than you think. Each year, thousands upon thousands of people are affected by the mistakes of hospitals, surgeons, and doctors – and the majority never file medical malpractice claims. Here are some staggering statistics regarding medical malpractice in the United States:
· A staggering 225,000 people die each year due to medical malpractice.
· The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported that there were 7,000 deaths a year from hospital medication errors, 20,000 deaths a year from other errors in hospitals, and 12,000 deaths per year from unnecessary surgery.
· 90 percent of medical malpractice trials involved plaintiffs who suffered permanent injury or death, according to the Bureau of Justice.
· 50 percent of medical malpractice trials involved mistakes made by surgeons, while 33 percent involved doctors who were not surgeons.
· The Annual Report of the National Practitioner Data Bank reported 19,000 medical malpractice payment reports last year in the United States
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According to the Bureau of Justice, 50 percent of medical malpractice suits take place in the 75 largest counties in the country – that is, the majority of medical malpractice cases take place in urban areas.
· 1,500 medical malpractice lawsuits were filed against medical interns last year.
· 27 percent of plaintiffs received compensation from their medical malpractice trials.
· The NPDB reported 191,804 medical malpractice incidents made by doctors in the last ten years.
· The NPDB also reported that just five percent of US doctors are responsible for 54 percent of malpractice suits.
· The annual cost to society for medical errors in hospitals is between $17 and $29 billion.
· According to the Harvard Medical Practice Study, only one in 8 medical malpractice victims files a claim for monetary compensation.