25 years of patient safety: Bad news: ‘The data is quite disturbing,’ part 1

Patient safety in American health care remains a significant challenge, with alarming data showing that one in four Medicare beneficiaries experience harm during hospital stays and preventable errors contribute to an estimated 200,000 to 250,000 deaths annually. Despite some improvements, these figures highlight the ongoing and serious risks patients face in hospitals and health systems. Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, describes the bad news in the state of patient safety in the American health care system.