Within healthcare hides massive, avoidable death toll

Experts estimate that a staggering 98,000 people die from preventable medical errors each year. In addition, a federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study concluded that 99,000 patients a year succumb to hospital-acquired infections. Almost all of those deaths, experts say, also are preventable. All of the available research indicates that the death toll from preventable medical injuries approaches 200,000 per year in the United States.