Medical Errors Cited As 3rd Leading Cause of Death in the US: Our Comment

The following is our formal comment to the widespread news reports about a recent study by researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine, and their open letter to the CDC asking that medical errors be listed and ranked as the third leading cause of death in the United States. The reports highlighted the lack of tracking and reporting of vital statistics that can hinder research and has kept problems out of the public eye.

The debate over how (and how often) medical errors cause harm has been politicized for decades, with the messaging largely controlled by insurance and medical establishment interests. What is often lacking, however, is data, based on science, to define the problem. This new (Johns Hopkins) study appears to address that gap and sheds a little light on the issue. As lawyers who devote our careers to representing individuals and families whose lives have been sidetracked by medical negligence, we are well aware of the medical community’s propensity to sweep these questions under the rug. That community should stop blaming injured patients and the civil justice system for its own shortcomings, should put its house in order, and should accept accountability for injuries and death caused by negligent conduct. Pegalis & Erickson, Attorneys at Law.