Bloomberg Businessweek recently shared a piece about medical malpractice and how honesty affects the amount and cost of medical malpractice suits filed.

Researchers from the University of Michigan Health System studied a program that medical professionals used to report and apologize for their on-the-job errors. The system consisted of medical professionals informing patients when they knew that they have made a medical error.

The identity of the responsible party or parties, how and why the error occurred and what would be done to prevent a similar error from occurring in the future were all details included in the reports. Of course, an apology was also offered to the patients and their families.

Many in the medical field would likely be frightened by such a program being introduced into their hospital. There is already a widespread paranoia that medical malpractice lawsuits are always creeping around the corner. So wouldn't consistently reporting errors result in even more legal disputes?

According to the University of Michigan Health System's study, the answer is no.

The researchers found that the seemingly simple and ethical system of reporting errors benefited the healthcare system that participated in the study. Less malpractice claims were filed, and less money in damages was paid throughout the reporting trial compared to years before that did not utilize a malpractice reporting system.

According to research, once the medical professionals in the study were provided with and used the reporting system, there was an estimated 50 percent decrease in the average monthly rate of medical malpractice claims against the hospital. Not only that, but the time that went into settling the claims went down by about 60 percent and the cost of the lawsuits was nearly cut in half.

These statistics are encouraging to those who believe that medical professionals should hold themselves accountable for their errors. If this system truly works, it protects patients' rights by providing them honest information and the opportunity to be compensated by the hospital even if they were unaware of any malpractice prior to the report. The notified patients would look over the report with an attorney and decide what a fair settlement is.

What do you think? As a medical professional or potential patient, do you believe that a reporting system like this would work in your area hospital/s?

Resource

Bloomberg Businessweek: When Doctors Admit Mistakes, Fewer Malpractice Suits Result, Study Says (8/17/2010)