Ten years ago, the Institute of Medicine set a goal to cut medical errors in half by 2004. Now, in 2009, we still don't know if we're any better off. Errors aren't made public regularly, and there are few national standards to prevent them.


Urge the Obama Administration to initiate common sense measures to save countless lives and dollars from preventable medical errors


It seems basic that our health care system would ensure that doctors and nurses are competent in patient safety. But there is an epidemic of medical errors plaguing the health care system, and attempts to measure progress, if any, have failed because information about medical errors is not collected and reported publicly.


Medical errors, including hospital infections, kill an estimated 200,000 Americans each year. It's time we got serious about stopping preventable medical errors. We need public reporting of these errors, so we will know what to do to prevent them in the first place.


When deadly medical errors are kept secret, the underlying problems that cause them don't get fixed. These errors, including hospital infections, kill an estimated 200,000 Americans each year, and cost us $51 billion. Yet they aren't required to be tracked or made public. By bringing medical errors to light, effective action can be taken to prevent them.

Consider the case of actor Dennis Quaid. His newborn twins almost died when they were injected with a massive dose of blood thinner because the adult version of the drug looked similar to the infant version and was put in the wrong bin. Quaid went public, and the hospital installed a computerized medication system to confirm the right drug and dose before it's given.


Please take a moment to sign the petition to the Obama Administration to make medical error rates public


Thank you.


Target: Health and Human Services nominee Gov. Sebelius; President Obama
Sponsored by: Consumers Union