by Brenda Schmitt

Created on: September 15, 2009   Last Updated: September 16, 2009

Preventable mistakes made in the hospital are a leading cause of death in the United Sates. Hospital acquired infections, wrong site surgeries, patient falls and medication errors are high on JACOH's list of benchmarks when deciding to accredit a hospital. Safety is a huge issue for hospitals. Without JACOH accreditation a hospital is not eligible to receive Medicare reimbursement, a major source of revenue.

A number of issues contribute to the high incidence of hospital mistakes. Every 3 minutes another American turns 60. The baby boomers are aging and the result for hospitals is an aging, sicker patient population. The median average age of your nurse is 50. By the year 2020, 44 states will have a severe nursing shortage. Even in states that have enacted standard nurse patient ratios, hospitals have compensated by cutting ancillary staff such as nursing assistants with the net result being no real increase in actual patient care hours. Hospitals reasoning is you're getting quality hours from a nurse, but skill and commitment can't compensate for overload and overload as much as any carelessness causes mistakes.

If all that weren't enough, tort law and medical malpractice insurance can affect the way your doctor treats you. It can be cheaper for the malpractice company to settle a claim than to fight it, even if your doctor did nothing wrong. Since malpractice insurance, like any insurance can go up with claims, your doctor often ends up practicing "defensive medicine". He may order test or procedures that aren't really necessary because he is worried about the possibility of being sued.

A push now exists for consumer medicine. Patients are now customers and somewhere in there the sacred trust you would hope your doctor or nurse would feel for your care has been lost in a McDonald's mentality.

So what can you do to decrease your risk in this "brave new world" of medical care? Consider these tips the next time you head to the hospital.

1) Have a family member stay with you during in your hospital stay. In your illness you often feel too bad to be your own advocate. Your family member can be sure your concerns are relayed to your doctor or nurse.

2) Ask questions. Be polite, not accusatory but ask what medicine you are receiving and what it's for. Keep in mind, the same medicine can be made by several different drug companies. You may be getting the same medicine you took at home but it may look different. Your nurse should identify you by your name. If she

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