CMS releases data on some medical errors

The U.S. government released data Thursday that for the first time show how often patients are injured by certain medical errors in hospitals. A preliminary analysis of the data suggests that in most cases St. Louis-area hospitals are making these mistakes at lower rates than the national average. The accuracy and usefulness of the data were unclear. For example, the government did not explain why only eight types of serious, Preventable errors were included in the comparison. They were: air in the bloodstream, falls, bedsores, infusions with the wrong blood type, urinary tract infections, blood infections, uncontrolled blood-sugar levels and foreign objects left in the body after surgery. Other serious events, including wrong-site surgeries and medication errors, were not included. A spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said officials were not yet ready to discuss the data.