One in seven hospitalized Medicare patients experienced an adverse event that was serious enough to prolong hospitalization, cause permanent bodily harm, require life-sustaining intervention, or result in their death, according to Ruth Ann Dorrill, deputy regional inspector general for the Office of Evaluation and Inspections. Speaking in a recent OIG podcast, Dorrill said that on a national scale, this means that in just one month, an estimated 134,000 Medicare patients experienced an adverse event, and 5,000 of those died. Dorrill added that OIG found that hospitals could have prevented 44% of the events. Looking ahead, Dorrill said that OIG will begin a study that will look at events in nursing homes to find out how often harm occurs, whether it is preventable by nursing home staff and what the cost is to Medicare. To listen to the podcast, visit http://go.usa.gov/fXh.

A Comprehensive Guide to Managing Never Events and Hospital-Acquired Conditions provides guidance on patient safety and preventable adverse events to help you reduce risks, prevent lost reimbursement, increase quality of care and improve outcomes. Learn more at the AIS Marketplace.