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Medical Errors In Indiana Rising

Last updated on Friday, January 6, 2012

(INDIANAPOLIS) - The number of medical errors in Indiana is rising, according to a newly released report by the Indiana State Department of Health.

In 2010, there were 107 medical errors reported at Indiana health care facilities, up from 94 errors reported in 2009. The data was collected by the state's Medical Error Reporting System.

Those mistakes include leaving foreign objects inside patients during surgery and performing surgery on the wrong body part.

According to the 2010 medical errors report, the IU Health network came in first with 16 reported medical mistakes. However, the network includes three hospitals and performed the most procedures out of any other hospital on the list.

IU Health released this statement, Wednesday, in response to the report:

"IU Health remains supportive of the state's medical error reporting system and believes the report will enhance safety practices and the quality of care at hospitals across the state. As Indiana's largest health system, and one nationally recognized for its clinical expertise and patient care, IU Health is dedicated to providing high quality patient care and maintaining transparency. While IU Health admitted more than 58,000 patients in 2010, with an error rate of .027%, we maintain that even one error is too many and remain committed to aggressively working toward the goal of zero errors. IU Health actively participates in sharing patient safety information to support the access and exchange of best practices among hospitals and healthcare providers."

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