Study: Hospitals Can Profit from Errors

Hospitals can make a profit from surgical errors, according to a new study.

FOX News Radio’s Bill Vitka reports:

When a hospital makes mistakes, they can make money. Despite the pressure to improve safety there are few incentives for hospitals to do so.

A study in The Journal of the American Medical Association says poor care is rewarded because insurance companies pay them for longer stays and pay them for the extra treatment needed for the surgical complications that may have been inadvertent but could have been avoided.

The study examined surgical mistakes. The mid-range stay in those cases quadrupled to 14 days. At the same time the hospital bill jumped from $19,000 to $49,000.

Bill Vitka, FOX News Radio.