Hospital-acquired Illness Creates 12% Of Liability: Study

One of out six liability claims against health care entities is associated with infections, injuries and other conditions acquired at the hospital, according to a new report. The 2008 Hospital Professional Liability and Physician Liability Benchmark Analysis, found that hospital-acquired infections, hospital-acquired injuries, objects left in the body after surgery and pressure ulcers represent more than 12% of hospitals' liability costs. After Oct. 1, the Baltimore-based Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services no longer will reimburse providers for 10 categories of hospital-acquired conditions and medical errors, known as 'never events' because they are considered preventable and should never happen. Risk managers are concerned that this change—and the resulting increased publicity surrounding these hospital-acquired ailments—will trigger an increase in hospital professional liability claims, according to the study. Several insurers have announced they will cease reimbursing for such errors, including Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna Inc., Chicago-based Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Bloomfield, Conn.-based CIGNA HealthCare and Indianapolis-based WellPoint Inc."

Zack Phillips, Business Insurance, 9-30-08
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