Navigating the health care system can be complex and overwhelming for many patients. Understanding your rights, responsibilities, and available resources is essential to receiving quality care and avoiding unexpected medical costs. Patients should be aware of how to access primary care, request second opinions, and understand insurance coverage, including co-pays, deductibles, and network restrictions.
It’s also important to keep accurate medical records, communicate clearly with health care providers, and ask questions about diagnoses, treatments, and medications. Being proactive can help patients make informed decisions, advocate for themselves, and avoid medical errors. Awareness of patient rights, including the right to privacy and informed consent, is also critical in ensuring safe and effective care.
According to the World Health Organization, roughly 40% of global adverse patient outcomes occur in primary or outpatient settings. This generally goes against the idea that people in New Jersey and elsewhere may have that medical errors take place in dirty or unorganized emergency rooms. However, the WHO report did indicate that there was a higher risk of getting an infection while being treated in lower-income nations.
Each year, about 7 million patients experience significant complications after a surgical procedure, and of those patients, 1 million die during a procedure or soon after it takes place. Roughly 25% of patients who are harmed in surgery will be harmed because of unsafe practices. Research indicates that 10% of patient deaths in the United States are caused by a diagnosis that was missed or delayed. Up to 17% of harmful events in hospitals are caused by diagnostic errors.
During the period between 2010 and 2015, Medicare hospitals in the United States saved $28 billion because of efforts to prevent medical mistakes from occurring. Globally, 134 million adverse events occur in hospitals that are located in countries with low or moderate financial resources. These adverse events account for over 2 million deaths annually. Adverse events are believed to be among the top 10 causes of death throughout the world.
If a medical professional makes a mistake that leads to financial loss, it might rise to the level of medical malpractice. Malpractice may occur if a doctor fails to order a test or ignores information provided by a patient that could have led to a timely and correct diagnosis. An attorney may use a patient’s medical records or the testimony of an expert witness to help a patient obtain a favorable outcome in a case.
