Previously, a hefty claim for compensation was immediately filed after a medical error. Logical too. But by being open to the patient in question, the hospital avoids a large number of claims.
In 2001, the so-called ‘University of Michigan Health System’ . was launched in Michigan in. This means that medical claims are treated in (roughly) the same way as car damage insurance. Medical errors are now openly communicated to the patient and immediate compensation is offered. For example, expensive lawyers or courts no longer adaptable.
Fewer damage claims
For this, claims for damages were defended until a settlement or lawsuit followed. Hospitals feared that the patient would open up about the medical error would receive a blank check. However, that turns out not to be true. For example, the measurement in the system's database shows that per 100,000 patients there are monthly average 4.5 claims be submitted. That is 35 percent less than before the introduction of the new system. In addition, the number of lawsuits has decreased by 65 percent and the costs of lawyers and compensation have fallen sharply.
However, it cannot be fully proven that openness leads to fewer claims † The number of claims in the rest of the United States (with the 'old' system) also decreased. Moreover, a good insight into all the figures is still lacking.
